The Natural History Museum of London is one of the prominent museums in the city of London, United Kingdom. It was earlier known as the British Museum (Natural History). It is located in South Kensington.

The museum hosts about 80 collections of scientific specimens of plants and animals. The specimens represent history for 4.5 billion years. The collections inside the museum are spread across different branches

• Zoology
• Botany
• Entomology
• Mineralogy
• Palentology

The museum is divided into four major zones – Blue, Green, Red, and Orange. It is famous in the world for its exclusive models of dinosaurs in its gallery. It also hosts whales and other big mammals within the family of animals. The fossils and the history behind human evolution are wonderfully depicted in the walls of the museum. The artistic decors on the walls and the ceilings of the museum are worth millions of praise and appreciation.

Lets us enjoy a short virtual tour of the four zones of the museum.

The Blue Zone

The zone is dedicated mainly to the dinosaurs, mammals, marine animals and the reptiles.

The major specimens include the gigantic carnivore T-Rex, the timid plant-eating Triceratops, the Iguanodon, the European carnivore Baryonyx, and the huge Scolosaurus. It’s indeed a thrilling sight to pass by the majestic skeletons, fossils, and structures of the dinosaurs and experience their roaring sound.

The Museum of the Moon is another brilliant artwork by the famous artist Luke Jerram. The marvellous structure of the moon with its luminous light reflection adorn the hall. The model is 6 meters in diameter projecting the detailed images taken by NASA of the surface of the moon.

The other distinct aspect of the Blue Zone is the huge blue whale model.  Along with the blue whale, you can witness the replicas of mammoths, giraffes, horses, hippopotamuses and so on. It is wonderful to watch the species which influenced the notorious mermaid tales. You can also see the skulls of the famous unicorn and study the swimming capabilities of dolphins.

The Mammals gallery houses the extinct Australian Diprotodon and saber-toothed cat, the Cynognathus, kangaroos, wild dogs and cats, replicas of pandas, bears, mongoose, wolves.

You can experience the marvellous underwater inhabitants in the Marine gallery. There are crabs, snails, starfish, corals, molluscs, squid, spiders and many more.

Paintings and artistic works of famous scientists, photographers and voyagers are often displayed at the exhibitions held in the Nature gallery of the museum. There are images of animal and bird specimens discovered during the various expeditions and experiences of world-famous nature specialists.

The Human gallery will provide you with a unique tour of the human body through various interactions. You can experience how the brains assist the different organs of our body to function properly, the essence of the hormonal effects, the blood cells, our senses, the nervous system, the reproduction system and many more.

Last, not least is the gallery for Amphibians, Reptiles, and Fish. The gallery displays the different species either in a skeleton form or replicas or their existence in their own habitat.

The Green Zone

The zone has the specialty of hosting the Whale, largest animal on Earth and the few of the extinct birds.

The Hintze Hall attracts visitors with its majestic display of the Blue Whale skeleton hanging in the air. There are exclusive replicas of different mammals, animals, birds, plants, and insects. Showcasing about 4.5 billion years of history, it has a remarkable collection of dinosaur fossils, seaweeds, fossil trees, corals, the American Mastodon of the Ice age and so on.

The Birds gallery is an amazing space where you can experience the endangered and extinct species of birds. There are a display of the bird’s cases and nests, the egg samples, the paintings of birds, specimens and the prints from the famous The Birds of America Book.

The Creepy Crawlies gallery will provide you a virtual tour of the different species of insects. You can get acquainted with the insect lifecycle. Various other species of spiders, centipedes, millipedes, crabs, locusts, scorpions and termites are also displayed.

The Vault is a precious area in the museum. It glorifies with its collection of numerous gems. The world’s largest collection of diamonds are present in the museum. The other precious metals include the Australian gold nugget, amethyst, emeralds, and the Tissint, a meteorite.

The Fossils arena displays the specimens of mammals 65 million years ago. It also houses fossil plants, ancient fossils of trilobites (related to crabs), fossils of snails and so on.

The Red Zone

The zone floats your mind into the journey of human evolution and the natural forces behind the occurrence of volcanoes and earthquakes.

The Earth Hall hosts the spectacular display of the famous Stegosaurus fossil skeleton. The walls present the view of the world with its minerals and precious stones. You can also watch Zeus’s thunderbolt.

The Volcanoes and Earthquake gallery demonstrates the power behind the natural calamities which lead to volcanoes and earthquakes. It educates us on the activities that happen inside the Earth’s surface and the scientific methods discovered to protect humanity from the damages. The gallery showcases the seismographic instrument, suits, and equipment used by scientists to study volcanoes.

The gallery demonstrating the Human Evolution will take you 7 million years back. The journey will illustrate the first hominins and then the various human species which evolved in between, ultimately leading to the human world of today. You can learn how the physical characteristics and lifestyle of human species transformed at each stage of evolution.

The Earth’s Treasury gallery is a treat to the eyes with its splendid display of gems and precious stones, minerals and glittering metals excavated from underneath the earth’s surface. Gold, ruby, granite, emerald, sapphire, platinum are kept in the gallery racks.

The Restless Surface gallery educates you with the science behind the formation of stalactites, stalagmites and many more.

In the Last Impressions gallery, you can experience the fossils depicting events dated long back, almost 200 million years old. Different rocks, dinosaur footprints, teeth and horns of animals are some of the specimens kept in the gallery.

The Orange Zone

The zone comprises of two main attractions the Wildlife Garden and the Darwin Centre.

The Wildlife Garden exhibits about 3130 species of plants and insects. You can watch nature’s lush green beauty in its serenity.

The Darwin Centre is a famous place in the museum where you can interact with scientists to discuss the latest inventions in technology. The centre offers a tour with the giant squid, Darwin’s octopus and other animal specimens kept in water jars.

Other then the four zones, there are numerous events and exhibitions held in the museum where you can build up your knowledge on the various aspects of natural history.

Visit the place with family, friends, and kids. I can bet you will not regret.