Sadly we might not be able to make any more of these due to budget issues, so if you’re enjoying them please share widely!
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Posts by The Perfect Specimen
Illustration from a 17th century book of The Boas. A scaled snake like creature with no limbs but a fat body, long tail in a knot, eating a person.
Massive toad in a large jar of fluid, and a second jar with massive tadpole in it
Frog in a jar of fluid head down. Its legs are very long
A large herbarium sheet with dried palm leaves and palm fruits on it. All leaves and fruit are brown in colour
Here are the specimens from this week! Still can’t believe @joshlukedavis.com was allowed to bring in such an old and important book. 📕😍
1 week ago
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New episode today is MYTHICAL! m.youtube.com/watch?v=KYux... Featuring Jeff (who just moved to Cardiff Museum 😭). Available on Spotify and Apple too. 🐸 🦎 📕 🌴 No unicorns were harmed in the making of this podcast 🦄
1 week ago
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🚨New podcast episode🚨
Go check out the latest episode of our podcast! We've got the delightful Talay with us talking all things beetles, while I got my mitts on some rather incredible snails 🪲🧪🥰
2 weeks ago
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A photo showing Dr Diego Vaz looking at a specimen jar held in his hands. Around him there are stand shelving units containing many other jars of preserved fish.
Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in the Museum?
Dive into the fish collection with us to see just some of the marine marvels we look after ⬇️
1 week ago
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This entire @nhm-london.bsky.social podcast is delightful 🧪
2 weeks ago
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If you’re enjoying these please rate and share them with as many people as possible. We need more viewers to be allowed to keep making them! Thanks!
2 weeks ago
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Black beetle in a white box. This one can be run over by a car and survive!
Lovely long horn beetle. Beetle is balck with iridescent green stripes and its antennae are folded back and longer than its body. Pinned in a white box with a barcode and label
Some dark coloured snails in a jar. Their skin is scaly and slightly shiny grey colour.
An open glass jar with a lump of green moss in it
Images of the specimens for this episode. Well an image of the moss which is full of meiofauna at least!
2 weeks ago
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Time for TOUGH! With our delightful guest Talay! m.youtube.com/watch?v=t1iE... 🪲 🐌 🐞🪱
2 weeks ago
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Time for FRIENDLY with special guest @gavinbroad.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt_k.... Come for the wasps, stay for the zombie-castrating parasites... 🦘🐝 🦀🧟♀️
1 month ago
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The Generation Hope program for this year is now online! Events are free but you need to reserve tickets: www.nhm.ac.uk/events/gener... Lots of weekend events this year due to popular demand! Come and learn more about the planetary crisis and how to fight it. Aimed at young people but all welcome!
1 month ago
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Mammal skull held by person. Skull is about hand sized. This is a quokka
A white board in which is pinned a large wasp with ovipositors longer than its body, body is black with thin yellow stripes. There is also a piece of wood with an ovipositor sticking out of it.
Close up of a crabs underside with a parasitic barnacle growing out of it.
A very very small pinned wasp on top of very small label with tiny writing
Here are some images of this episodes specimens :)
1 month ago
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Time for FRIENDLY with special guest @gavinbroad.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt_k.... Come for the wasps, stay for the zombie-castrating parasites... 🦘🐝 🦀🧟♀️
1 month ago
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A marketing poster showing illustrations of Jurassic monsters with text that says "Jurassic Oceans, monsters of the deep. How do you measure up against these life-size ferocious predators?"
Think you know the Jurassic period? Think again. 🌊
Announcing our new exhibition, Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep, opening 22 May 2026.
Find out more info and book your early bird tickets here: brnw.ch/21x0MBt
1 month ago
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A large jar with fluid inside and a big brown blob which is a sponge.
Small jar full of liquid, inside is a small brown frog with large pale spots on its legs, side and head. A label the same size as the frog is attached to its leg.
The open pages of a book, on the left page colours are described, on the right page there are small squares of the corresponding colour, along with examples of what is that colour.
If youd like your own copy of the nomenclature of colours you can buy one here: www.nhmshop.co.uk/werner-s-nom...
1 month ago
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New episode today is COLOURFUL! With apologies from @nhcooper123.bsky.social that since recording this one of the papers she talked about has been retracted! Sponge wars continues m.youtube.com/watch?v=O_DN... 🧽 📕 🐸 🪸
1 month ago
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Henbane. A dried plant specimen with pale whitish flowers and green spiky leaves, flattened and stuck to card
Small firefly beetle pinned in a box with a label underneath it with information about the species and location it was found. Beetle has a brown body, yellow head and long antennae.
A shiny bee. Bee is iridescent blue and pinned in a drawer. Wings are sticking out and are brown.
Close up of two very flat flatworms in a jar. They are dark on top and light brown underneath and about 3mm thick.
Specimens for this week!
2 months ago
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Should have said the word was SEDUCTIVE! 🥰
2 months ago
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I *love* the chubby little grease fish 🥺
2 months ago
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Happy belated Valentine’s Day! Please enjoy the delightful @beetlequeen.bsky.social telling us about witchy plants and lovable bums! m.youtube.com/watch?v=2qNL... 🌱 🐛 Plus some penis fencing flatworms… 🤺
2 months ago
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I was so lucky to be part of @nhcooper123.bsky.social lab group when the 'greasefish' was an amazing topic of conversation. What a bizarre and unfortunately likely extinct creature! The folds instantly reminded me of the breadbugs in Pikmin... Really fun episode as always!
2 months ago
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And last but not least, an explainer on some very enigmatic marine reptiles - the mosasaurs!
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/wha...
2 months ago
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What's happening in the Fossil Mammal Collection at the NHM? I found out!
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/beh...
2 months ago
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Got a bit of a backlog of articles again, but here's what I've been working on recently!
First up, why open a jar when you can find out what's inside using lasers?
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...
2 months ago
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Christmas Island shrew. Small stuffed brown shrew with a label attached to it. Next to it a test tube containing a tiny skull from the shrew.
Close up of the head of a Christmas Island shrew
Grease fish specimen in a jar. Looks like a fish version of the Michelin man with tires of fat
Close up of the head of the grease fish. It has a very small eye and the typical “whiskers” of a catfish.
2 months ago
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New episode today is ELUSIVE! @nhcooper123.bsky.social and @joshlukedavis.com share stories of strange fishes, noisy shrews, and mysterious trees www.youtube.com/watch?v=eORr... 🐟🌲🐀. In case there is any doubt, we do not recommend using any animals as candles...🕯️
2 months ago
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I got to use some really special specimens for this one. Only 10 specimens of greasefish exist! And the poor Christmas Island shrew is now extinct but this one was collected when there were so many, and they were so noisy, they kept people awake at night!
2 months ago
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Christmas Island shrew. Small stuffed brown shrew with a label attached to it. Next to it a test tube containing a tiny skull from the shrew.
Close up of the head of a Christmas Island shrew
Grease fish specimen in a jar. Looks like a fish version of the Michelin man with tires of fat
Close up of the head of the grease fish. It has a very small eye and the typical “whiskers” of a catfish.
2 months ago
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New episode today is ELUSIVE! @nhcooper123.bsky.social and @joshlukedavis.com share stories of strange fishes, noisy shrews, and mysterious trees www.youtube.com/watch?v=eORr... 🐟🌲🐀. In case there is any doubt, we do not recommend using any animals as candles...🕯️
2 months ago
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