Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano

Coordinates: 45°28′22.26″N 9°12′8.07″E / 45.4728500°N 9.2022417°E / 45.4728500; 9.2022417
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Milan Natural History Museum
Map
Established1838
LocationCorso Venezia, 55 - 20121 Milan, Italy
DirectorDomenico Piraina
WebsiteOfficial website

The Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano (Milan Natural History Museum) is a museum in Milan, Italy. It was founded in 1838 when naturalist

Giuseppe de Cristoforis donated his collections to the city. Its first director was Giorgio Jan
.

The Museum is located within a 19th-century building in the

Gothic
elements.

The museum is divided into five different permanent sections: Mineralogy (with a large collection of

arthropods and entomology); and Vertebrate Zoology (dedicated to vertebrates, both exotic and European).[1]

The museum exhibits the largest Italian collection of over 100 full size

dioramas. These allow visitors to observe many aspects of faraway ecosystems.[2]

Mineralogy section

Sulfur crystals

The mineralogy section showcases several minerals from all over the world including the world's largest

quarz, phosgenite, fluorite, malachite and other minerals.[3]

Paleontology section

Fossil of Vomeropsis triurus

The paleontology section explains the basics of paleozoology and paleobotany. Displays include fossils of several plants and animals. Among the most valuable pieces are a Spinosaurus snout, the skeletons of two pygmy elephants (Palaeoloxodon falconeri) from Sicily and the only existing fossil of the coelurosaurian theropod Scipionix samniticus. The museum also houses several other casts of dinosaur skeletons such as Allosaurus, Stegosaurus, Dromaeosaurus, Plateosaurus, and Stan (dinosaur), the fifth most complete Tyrannosaurus ever found.[4]

Natural history of man section

The natural history of man section is dedicated to the origins of

phylogenetic, morphological and ecological points of view with several archaeological objects and realistic plastic models. One of the most valuable pieces is the cast of an Australopithecus afarensis skeleton.[5]

Invertebrate zoology section

The invertebrate zoology section is divided in two exhibitions. The first is about mollusks and arthropods: displays include a giant clam, which is the largest living bivalve, two Japanese spider crabs (male and female), Scolopendra gigantea, and arachnids like many spiders and scorpions from all over the world. The second exhibition is dedicated to entomology and displays many insects.[6]

Vertebrate zoology section

African bush elephant cranium

On the second floor of the building is the

dioramas with mounted specimens displayed in realistic settings.[7]

The collection is notable for about 30 primary types of reptiles,[8] many of which have been described by the museum's first director, Giorgio Jan, who is also one of the most prolific herpetologists of all time with about 100 reptile species described.[9]

Directors

Statue of Antonio Stoppani, third director of the Natural History Museum, Milan

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ "Le esposizioni permanenti del Museo di Storia Naturale". Comune di Milano. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  2. ^ Le città d'arte: Milano, Guide brevi Skira, ed. 2008, various authors
  3. ^ "Minerali". Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Dinosauri e altri fossili". Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Storia dell'Evoluzione Umana". Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Invertebrati". Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Animali vertebrati". Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  8. ISSN 1175-5334
    .
  9. ISSN 1175-5334
    .

External links

45°28′22.26″N 9°12′8.07″E / 45.4728500°N 9.2022417°E / 45.4728500; 9.2022417

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