You won’t find exhibits like these anywhere else in New England. Comprehensive in scope yet intimate in scale, the Museum presents a rare glimpse at the exotic, and a fresh look at the familiar.
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Great Mammal Hall
This historic gallery, constructed in 1872, reflects the grand vision of the founder of Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology, Swiss zoologist and Harvard Professor Louis Agassiz. In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the MCZ, the gallery was renovated to its original look and feel while incorporating new scientific information and green materials and technologies.
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EVOLUTION
EVOLUTION invites visitors to examine the fossil, anatomical and genetic evidence that all life is connected through a shared evolutionary history. View animals and plants that sparked Darwin’s theory, dramatic displays of diversity within species, and computer simulations that demonstrate how natural selection acts. EVOLUTION offers behind-the-scenes looks at ongoing evolution research at Harvard from exciting new discoveries about human origins to surprising insights from new genetic and developmental studies on Darwin's Finches.
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Arthropods: Creatures that Rule
Featuring hands-on activities, dramatic specimen displays, colorful video and graphics, and even live animals, this exhibition draws on the latest scientific research to explore arthropods’ extraordinary evolutionary success and their impact on our lives. Evolving for more than 500 million years, these creatures range in size from giant king crabs to microscopic mites, represent over 80% of all animal species, and have colonized every corner of the planet.
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The Glass Flowers
One of the Museum’s most famous treasures is the internationally acclaimed Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants, the “Glass Flowers." This unique collection of over 4,000 models—some 3,000 on display—was created by the glass artisans, Leopold Blaschka and his son, Rudolph. The commission began in 1886, continued for five decades, and represents more than 830 plant species.
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The Zoological Galleries
The zoological galleries feature examples of animals ranging from the earliest prehistoric creatures, including fossil invertebrates, reptiles, and dinosaurs, to today’s mammals, birds, and fish from around the world. Exhibition highlights include the Triceratops type specimen (first ever described) and the world’s only mounted Kronosaurus, a 42-foot-long prehistoric marine reptile.
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The Mineralogical and Geological Gallery
The mineralogical and geological galleries include mineral collections displayed both systematically and thematically, and sparkling displays of gemstones in both rough and cut examples, including a 1,600 pound amethyst geode from Brazil. Special features of the Gallery include a stunning assortment of meteorites discovered around the globe—some touchable—and Impact!, a dynamic video presentation that explores meteorite origins and the factors that bring these extra-terrestrial bodies in contact with Earth.
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