Museum of Natural History homepage | Oxford University Museum of Natural History Pause animated content Museum of Natural History homepage OXFORD UNIVERSITY MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Entry is FREE. Plan your visit. WHAT'S ON Important information about forthcoming installation work From the end of February we will be installing the fourth and final phase of our redisplay project, 'Life, as know it.' This will mean some areas of the Museum's main court will be closed for a short period whilst work is carried out. Find out more EXPLORE THE MUSEUM Find out more Touchable minerals The touchable minerals in the main court will be removed, temporarily, on Tuesday, 3 March. They will return with new plinths as part of our Life As We Know It redisplay project at the beginning of May 2026. Find out more Return to Oxfordshire's Jurassic Highway Excavations to uncover Europe’s longest sauropod dinosaur trackway continued in Oxfordshire this summer. The four new trackways found at the 2025 Dewars Farm site were each made by sauropod dinosaurs, large-bodied long-necked herbivores like Cetiosaurus, that made their way along an exposed mudflat on the edge of a lagoon some 166 million years ago – during the Middle Jurassic Period. Find out more Women in Science: Mary Anning Mary Anning was a pioneering palaeontologist who became globally renowned for important finds made along the Dorset coast. Her discoveries were some of the most significant geological finds of all time. MORE TO EXPLORE As Above, So Below Discover more As Above, So Below As Above, So Below During the early years of the Museum, its first Keeper and Professor of Geology John Phillips (1800-1874) turned his geological knowledge towards the heavens and helped to establish Oxford as a hub for astronomy in the 19th century. Raised by his uncle, William Smith, now often referred to as the "father of English geology", Phillips applied observation and practical knowledge to interpreting rock layers, recognising the mark of slow geological processes. Palaeontology Find out more Palaeontology Palaeontology Our palaeontology collections include one of the world’s most important collections of Middle Jurassic dinosaurs; exceptionally preserved specimens with intact soft tissues; and enigmatic fossils representing the earliest complex multicellular organisms. It features around 400,000 fossils, ranging from the Archean, ~2.7 billion years ago, to the end of the Pleistocene, 11,700 years ago. Discover more Trilobite Wall The oceans were once filled with trilobites, ancient animals that are some of the first creatures with hard parts found in the fossil record. A giant slab of rock preserves a natural gathering of three types of trilobite, as well as many brittle stars. MORE THAN A DODO BLOG Retrieving feed content ... first previous next last DISCOVER BIODIVERSITY DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THE MUSEUM Research Discover our research Research Research Oxford University Museum of Natural History has been a centre of world-leading research and scientific debate since it opened in 1860. History Find out about our history History History The Museum building is as spectacular today as when it opened in 1860. Learn more about the world's first purpose-built natural history museum. Collections About our collections Collections Collections The Museum has over seven million historical and modern specimens encompassing the natural world. Learn with us Learn The Museum offers a range of learning experiences for different audiences through online activities, in-museum sessions, and self-guided visits. The Oxford dinosaur that started it all Did you know that the Museum's own Megalosaurus was the first dinosaur to be named and described? Discover 200 years of dinosaur science, beginning in the collections at OUMNH. Find out more Venue Hire Enquiries Venue Hire Venue Hire Set in the heart of a historic university city, Oxford University Museum of Natural History provides an inspiring backdrop for a wide range of private events. This characterful neogothic building dates back to the 1850s and is home to over seven million natural history specimens. Careers and Volunteering Working For Us Careers and Volunteering Careers and Volunteering Discover vacancies, volunteering, internships, and bursary placements! Donate £5 Entry to the Museum is FREE We rely on the generous support of the public to fund our events and exhibitions. oxford mosaic List of site pages