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Archive for June, 2018

Specimen of the week 349: The nine-banded armadillo

By Christopher J Wearden, on 29 June 2018

Happy Friday to all Specimen of the Week readers. After a recent road trip across the southern United States, I’m bringing you a curious creature that can be found all the way from Texas to Tennessee. They are known for their distinctive shape and defensive abilities, but as we’ll see, there is more than just the shell to admire about these animals. It’s our very own…

Nine-banded armadillo, Dasypus novemcinctus LDUCZ-Z2791

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Specimen of the Week 348: The salp

By ucwehlc, on 22 June 2018

Specimen of the Week this week was collected from the seas off Naples where it jetted around the Mediterranean breaking records and enjoying a remarkably complicated love life. Specimen of the Week is….

 

LDUCZ-T23 the salp Salpa maxima

LDUCZ-T23 the salp Salpa maxima

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Specimen of the Week 347: The Bengal monitor skull

By Nadine Gabriel, on 15 June 2018

This specimen of the week is a lizard found throughout Asia. They have a colourful youth, are shy around humans and have been known to shelter in abandoned termite mounds. Say hello to the Bengal monitor (Varanus bengalensis)!

Skull of a Bengal monitor, Varanus bengalensis LDUCZ-X189

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Specimen of the Week 346: The Young Rattlesnake

By Christopher J Wearden, on 8 June 2018

Good afternoon readers. Today we are bringing you a specimen that is feared by humans and can grow up to eight feet long. This animal is known for the distinctive sound it makes to when trying to deter predators or intimidate prey. It is long, scaly and has a bit of bite, this week’s Specimen of the Week is… (more…)

Specimen of the Week 345: The Pikermi Casts

By Tannis Davidson, on 1 June 2018

LDUCZ-Z3259 Amphimachariodus giganteus

LDUCZ-Z3259 Amphimachariodus giganteus

Back in January, this blog featured four specimens nicknamed ‘the fancy casts’ which were chosen by UCL Museum Studies students as a research project for their Collections Curatorship course. The casts are of extinct species of horse and sabre-toothed cat which lived in the Miocene – Pliocene epochs around 23-3 million years ago. These four casts are unique in the Grant Museum because they are beautifully detailed, hand-painted and mounted upon bespoke ceramic bases.

I’m pleased to report that the students discovered that the fancy casts are indeed rather special. Thanks to the brilliant efforts of Kayleigh Anstiss, Anna Fowler, Pamela Maldonado Rivera, Rachael Rogers and Hollie Withers, these casts are no longer such a mystery. Here they are again, this week’s newly titled Specimens of the Week are… (more…)