Natural History
Reptiles and Amphibians
The reptile collection has over 100 specimens from North and South America, Italy, New Zealand, Africa, India and England. They were collected between the 1900s and 1950s. The collection is comprised mainly of lizards, turtles and snakes such as the chameleon, skink, Iberian land tortoise, Hawksbill terrapin and adder. We also hold a small spirit collection of around 30 snakes.Our larger specimens are the boa constrictor and Indian python skins, as well as a Caiman, a mounted Gharial’s head, and a 3.2m (10.5ft) Saltwater Crocodile that is displayed in our Natural History Gallery.
Our amphibian collection is the smallest collection in the museum and is made up of three bullfrogs from Trinidad, a European tree frog, two other frogs, two horned toads, a common toad from England, a natterjack toad, a spotted salamander and a Clawed toad from Africa.Highlights from the Collection
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| Gharial head (Gavialis gangeticus) |
Gharials are native to Northern India and primarily eat fish. The name gharial derives from the Hindu name ghara, which means pot. This is a reference to the bulbuous shaped swelling around the nose of the mature males.
The gharial came close to extinction in the 1970s but conservation programmes have helped to protect it.
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| Caiman from South America |
The caiman belongs to the Alligator family and comes from South America. The diet of the caiman varies according to its habitat, but they primarily eat fish and other aquatic invertebrates. This specimen is approximately 1.2m long.
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| Toad (Bufo bufo) |
This species of toad is common throughout most of Europe. It presents in a range of colours from green to brown. The toads generally eat insects, earthworms and slugs. They secrete a poisonous substance called bufagin to deter predators, although some animals are immune (such as hedgehogs).
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| Melanistic (Black) Adder (Vipera berus) – Spirit Collection |
This specimen was taken from Woolbeding common, West Sussex on 6th March 1940. Adders are widespread across Britain and are the only poisonous snake to reside here. They are easily recognised by the dark zig zag line running down their back. This melanistic example lost its black colouring following immersion in the preservative liquid formalin.
