Black Background Collection

Slice of Canyon Diablo meteorite
Iron meteorites, when sliced open and etched with acid, typically show a distinctive criss-cross pattern called a Widmanstatten pattern. This slice is 15cm across

Liopleurodon vertebra
A fossil vertebra from the pliosaur, Liopleurodon. These were carnivorous marine reptiles that lived during the time of the dinosaurs. This specimen was discovered in Kimmeridge, Southern England

Opal gem with opal rock
The polished gem is from an unknown locality while the rough specimen of opal rock comes from Baracoo River, Queensland, Australia

Partial fossil remains of the giant millepede, Arthropleura
Measuring 7.1 cm long, this Carboniferous fossil represents only part of a leg of the giant millepede Arthropleura

Argonauta hians, brown paper nautilus
A pair of brown paper nautilus (Argonauta hians). This delicate-shelled cephalopod is distributed in warm seas globally

Tremolite asbestos from France
Tremolite (calcium magnesium silicate hydroxide) is a mineral from the Amphibole group, it is commonly used for industrial purposes

Phacops, a fossil trilobite
This Moroccan Devonian Phacops is enrolled, measuring 4.5 cm in width, and has a glabella covered in tubercles

Pentrimites robustus, blastoid
Side view of a specimen from the Carboniferous (Mississipian), Illinois, USA - length 4 cm. Blastoids are extinct marine invertabrates belonging to the Phylum Echinodermata

Franklinite, zinc ore
A granular rock composed of white calcite, dull green willemite, red zincite and black franklinite (Zinc Iron Manganese Oxide). See T00387 for a fluorescent view

Temnocidaris sceptrifera, fossil echinoid
Temnocidaris (Stereocidaris) sceptrifera, 5.5 cm in diameter, from the Cretaceous Chalk of Hertfordshire, England, apical view

Plecotus sp. long-eared bat
A long-eared bat in flight (a microbat belonging to the Vespertilionidae family of vesper or evening bats). Photograph published in Bats by Phil Richardson, a Natural History Museum publication, 2002

A Selection of Museum Specimens
Specimens here include an Entomological tray of insect from the order Orthoptera, a herbarium sheet from Cooks first voyage collected in New South Wales, Australia in 1770 and fish specimens

Blue John
Polished slice of Blue John from Derbyshire, England. The mineral is so far unique to one location in the Derbyshire Peak District, England

Homo erectus cranium casts Peking Man & OH9
Left: This skull is a reconstruction based upon evidence discovered at locality 1, Zhoukoudian Cave which date back 500, 000 years

Lunar meteorite
Da La Gani 400, a lunar meteorite found in the Sahara Desert

Painted skull of Arius sp. crucifix fish
Specimen of the skull of a crucifix fish painted to resemble a statue of Jesus Christ on the cross. Often painted and sold as curios

Mucrospirifer, a fossil brachiopod

Stigmaria ficoides, fossil root
This root is preserved in tough Carboniferous sandstone. Stigmaria is the name given to roots of the giant lycopod (prehistoric spore-bearing plant) Lepidodendron

Thatcheria mirabilis, Japanese wonder shell
This spectacularly spiralling shellfish is a member of the Turrid family who catch their prey by harpooning them with a modified radula (tooth) and poisoning them with a nerve toxin

Schist
A garnet schist from Moidart, Scotland. This specimen is a medium-grained metamorphic rock

Carved Hornbill Skull
Casque of a helmeted hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil) carved to depict a Chinese battle scene set in a town by a river. There also features a figure holding a flag bearing the Chinese w鮠 character

Octahedral crystals in columns, quartz matrix
Groups of octahedral crystals forming columns in parallel position in quartz matrix. Presented by Percy Tarbutt in 1942 Date: 1942

Moon rock fragment from the last Apollo space mission, Apollo 17, encased in perspex on a wooden plaque. The thumbnail-size rock is around 3.7 billion years old

Spallanzanis great auk egg
Spallanzanis great auk (Pinguinus impennis) egg held in the Natural History Museum at Tring. The great auk was hunted to extinction in the middle of the 19th Century

Tristrams great auk egg
Tristrams great auk (Pinguinus impennis) egg held in the Natural History Museum at Tring. The great auk was hunted to extinction in the middle of the 19th Century

Walter Rothschilds great auk egg
Walter Rothschilds great auk (Pinguinus impennis) egg held in the Natural History Museum at Tring. The great auk was hunted to extinction in the middle of the 19th Century

Lord Lilfords great auk egg
Lord Lilfords great auk (Pinguinus impennis) egg held in the Natural History Museum at Tring. Also known as the Royal College of Surgeons egg No.6 The great auk was hunted to extinction in the middle

Bullocks great auk (Pinguinus impennis) egg held in the Natural History Museum at Tring. The great auk was hunted to extinction in the middle of the 19th Century. 1962.1.5 (composite image) Date: 1962

Rough-toothed dolphin skull with ink scrimshaw
Skull of a rough-toothed dolphin, a species that lives deep in tropical waters.The skull, believed to date back to 1850, has been decorated with ink by sailors in scrimshaw

Homo neanderthalensis and Homo heildebergensis
Left: Cranium of Neanderthal man discovered at Forbes quarry Gibraltar in 1848. Right: Cranium of Broken Hill, or Rhodesian man (H. heidelbergensis) discovered at Broken Hill, Zambia in 1921

Great auk, Pinguinus impennis
The great auk, Pinguinus impennis, is one of the most powerful symbols of the damage humans can cause. The species was driven extinct as a result of centuries of intense human exploitation

Broken Hill skull, Homo heidelbergensis, discovered in Africa in 1921. The skull belonged to an adult male and may be 200, 000 to 300, 000 years old

Amoeba proteus, amoebae
A glass model of amoebae, created by Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka in the late nineteenth century and held at the Natural History Museum, London

Ogygiocaris, a fossil trilobite
Complete specimen of the Welsh Ordovician trilobite Ogygiocaris, measuring 3.8 cm in length and showing the three-lobed dorsal exoskeleton

Dimerocrinus, fossil crinoid
Dimerocrinus, a small stemmed crinoid (sea-lily) of Silurian age. The long stem supports a 1.8 cm high crown mostly consisting of the arms employed in feeding

Megalosaurus tooth
A typical carnosaur tooth belonging to Megalosaurus. It is curved in shape, pointing backwards and has sharp, serrated edges for cutting meat. The Megalosaurus lived during the Middle Jurassic period

Homo erectus, Java Man (Sangiran 17) cranium cast
Three quarter view of partially reconstructed cranium of Homo erectus Java Man about 700, 000 years old known as Sangiran 17. Discovered by Towikromo in 1969

Homo erectus crania (Ngandong 1 & Trinil)
The larger cranium belongs to Homo erectus discovered at Ngandong near to the Solo River on the island of Java, Indonesia

Megalomys luciae, saint lucia giant rice rat (holotype). Catalogue number NHM 1853.12.16.2

Pyrophyllite, green radiating in quartz from Berezovsk, Russia. Close-up of specimen on display in the Mineral Gallery at the Natural History Museum, London

The Stannern achondrite
A piece of the Stannern achondrite which is thought to have originated on the asteroid Vesta

Homo heidelbergensis, Boxgrove Man tibia
The tibia or shin bone of Boxgrove Man (Homo heidelbergensis) discovered in a quarry at Boxgrove, West Sussex, UK. The specimen dates back 500

Tridacna gigas, giant clam
A pair of giant clam (Tridacna gigas). This endangered species is the largest living molluscs and can reach sizes of over 1m

Homo sapiens (Singa 1) cranium
A heavily mineralized cranium once belonging to that of Homo sapiens who lived about 130, 000 years ago. This specimen was discovered in Singa, Sudan by W.R.G. Bond in 1924

Zamites gigas
Jurassic leaves of the extinct cycad like bennettitalean gymnosperm from York, England. Specimen held at the Natural History Museum, London

Araucaria mirabilis, pine cone
Silicified cones from the Cerro Cuadrado Fossil Forest (Jaramillo Fossil Forest), Argentina dating from the Upper Jurassic. Specimen held at the Natural History Museum, London

Melanocetus johnsonii, humpback blackdevil
Specimen jar containing a humpback devilfish (Melanocetus johnsonii), held in the Darwin Centre at the Natural History Museum, London

Oyster shell with pearl
Oyster is a name given to a group of molluscs which can be found on sea beds, often in coastal waters. The pearl, a smooth spherical object can form inside its shell

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