Best Museum Of Zoology Ottawa Near Me

4worldlovers:
Go behind-the-scenes to see treasures from national collections of plants, animals, fossils and minerals. There’s lots to discover — from dinosaur bones, to rare dried plants, colourful minerals to slimy creatures in jars and more.


Discover some of the most unique items in our collections and meet the experts that study them in this video series. Check back often – new videos available weekly.


The most extreme examples of size in our collections, from large scarab beetles, a huge earthworm and the prehistoric beaver to the tiniest, like a hummingbird egg and shrew skeleton. And find out which dinosaur had the largest brain-to-body ratio!


See how we prepare a skeleton for our collections (you might want to cover your eyes!). Find out about wet and dry minerals. Compare limbs of a land-based dinosaur, Oviraptorasaurid, to those of a plesiosaur, a marine reptile.

From the strikingly juvenile bald eagles to Acasta Gneiss, the world’s oldest rock, discover old versus new. And just what are those white grubs in your lawn?


Discover the hardest bone in a mammal skeleton and meet a fish that is so flexible that it can tie itself in a knot! Find out about “soft” fossil discoveries and the tools we use to extract fossils from hard or soft matter.


From dinosaurs, to extinct mammals, to marine reptiles, ancient fishes, and more. Our collections of horned dinosaurs and Ice-Age mammals from northern Canada are among the finest and most comprehensive in the world.

The museum has 1.25 million specimens of vertebrates—from mammals and birds, to reptiles, to amphibians and fishes. There is so much to catch the eye, including whale bones, the wall of antlers and skeletons of all kinds!


The museum boasts one of the best collections of beetles in the world. Also among the 1.3 million specimens of insects are colourful butterflies and other assorted creepy crawlies. Did you know? Invertebrates make up much of the Earth’s biodiversity.


Dive into a collection of colourful shells, tiny creatures from the ocean depths, and stunning corals.

More than one million plants of all kinds, pressed and preserved – some over 100 years old – are in the National Herbarium of Canada. See how this library of plants is used for scientific study.


The museum has thousands of minerals in its national collection, as well as rocks, gems and meteorites. These provide an amazing scientific record of the geological foundations and formation of the Earth.


Discover our science! The Science Review is an annual round-up of published papers published by, or with, our researchers, and using our museum specimens.


Every year, Museum researchers and experts travel to parts of Canada, documenting our country’s plants, animals and geological diversity. Take a virtual trip with them in this photo gallery.

See some of the other areas that support the museum’s mission. The National Biodiversity Cryobank of Canada preserves plant and animal tissues, and genetic material in a deep freeze! Our Library and Archives includes rare books and scientists’ field notes. And our conservators ensure the collections are properly preserved.

4worldlovers: Image description: Two young girls wearing black coats walk next to a woman who is carrying flowers and is also wearing a black coat. Behind them, along the road are a series of residential houses.

The museum is developing a new exhibition about the Cold War, and needs your help.

Image description: Several circles containing images of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum. One circle show the front of the museum set against a blue sky. Another circle shows the upside down Tutor aircraft suspended from the ceiling in the museum lobby. Several other blue and black dots are also scattered on the image.

Image description: A view inside the Canada Aviation and Space Museum with a large white airplane in the background. Large tables are set up around the room with white translucent shimmering table cloths and elegant white chairs. Scattered around the room are classical Victorian-style lampposts with round lamp bulbs with geometric patterns on the glass.

Image description: Canadian astronaut Dr. David Saint-Jacques's flight suit is a focal piece in the exhibit Health in Space