Placental Mammal Collection (#15)

Sciurus macrourus, long-tailed squirrel
Sydney Parkinson, Ceylon drawings ( Banks Manuscript No. 20) 1767

Pygathrix nemaeus nemaeus, red-shanked douc langur
Portrait of a red-shanked douc langur, native to north and central Vietnam, east-central Cambodia and possibly in China. Photographed by Frank Greenaway

Tortoise and armadillo comparison
A really strange picture, reminds me of 1960s New York art

Natural History display at Montagu House
Staircase near the entrance of the old British Museum in Montagu House, 1845. This housed the original collection of the Natural History Museum, London. From a watercolour by George Scharf (1788-1860)

Passerella iliaca, fox sparrow
Plate 108 from John James Audubons Birds of America, original double elephant folio (1831-34), hand-coloured aquatint. Engraved, printed and coloured by R. Havell (& Son), London

Pongo pygmaeus, orang-outang
The muscles of the Pongo pygmaeus from Orang-Outang sive Homo Sylvestris: or, The Anatomy of a Pygmie Compared with That of a Monkey, an Ape, and a Man by Edward Tyson, 1699

Mesembriomys gouldii, black-footed tree-rat (Gray 1843). BMNH 1842.5.26.18 skull with abnormal incisors collected by Gilbert, holotype

A Race For Life
Plate 12 taken from The Life and Habits of Wild Animals, illustrated by designs by Joseph Wolf, London 1874

Hunted Down
Plate 11 taken from The Life and Habits of Wild Animals, illustrated by designs by Joseph Wolf, London 1874

Catching A Tartar
Plate 17 taken from The Life and Habits of Wild Animals, illustrated by designs by Joseph Wolf, London 1874

The Siesta
Plate 9 taken from The Life and Habits of Wild Animals, illustrated by designs by Joseph Wolf, London 1874

Przewalskium albirostris, white-lipped deer
The Falklands fox, also known as the Falkland Islands wolf or the Warrah, was the only native land mammal of the Falkland Islands. It became extinct in 1876 (on West Falkland island)

Dusicyon australis, Falkland Islands fox
The Falklands fox, also known as the Falkland Islands wolf or the Warrah, was the only native land mammal of the Falkland Islands. It became extinct in 1876 (on West Falkland island)

Mammuthus primigenius, woolly mammoth

Pan paniscus, pygmy chimpanzee
Photographed by Frank Greenaway

Sivapithecus indicus
Illustration by Maurice Wilson of Sivapithecus indicus, thick coated enamelled apes from Turkey and Indo-Pakistan dating from 13 million years ago

Polypodium barometz
The Tartarian lamb or vegetable lamb of Tartary. Dating from 1698 and formerly in the collections of Sir Hans Sloane

Gorilla gorilla, gorilla

Strix varia, barred owl
Plate 46 from John James Audubons Birds of America, original double elephant folio (1827-30), hand-coloured aquatint. Engraved, printed and coloured by R. Havell (& Son), London

Casts of artifacts from Czech Republic
Ivory running lion, ivory ornamant and a lionesss head in fired clay; all 25, 000 - 30, 000 years old (Upper Palaeolithic) from Dolni Vestonice, Czech Republic

Artiodactyla (order), artiodactyl
Photograph of various artiodactyls, or even-toed ungulate mammal skeletons, held in the Osteology storeroom at the Natural History Museum, London

Interior detail from the Natural History Museum, London
The Natural History Museum was designed by Alfred Waterhouse (1830-1905) and opened to the public on Easter Monday 1881

Woolly rhinoceros skull

The Barometz or Sythian Lamb
From The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary 1887, by Henry Lee. Fig. 2 after Claude Duret

Fossil collecting near Aveley, Essex
Palaeontologists collecting the remains of a woolly mammoth and a straight-tusked elephant from a clay pit near Aveley, Essex in 1964

Monkey
Plate 72 of the John Reeves Collection of Zoological Drawings from Canton, China, 1774-1856

Palaeochiropteryx tupaiodon
Fossil skeleton from the Middle Eocene, Lutetian, Oil Shale from Messel near Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany. From the collection of the Natural History Museum, London. Fossil bat

Kogia breviceps, pygmy sperm whale
Photograph of the skull of a pygmy sperm whale

Cetacea (order), cetacean stomach contents
Stomach contents of a Cetacean (either a whale, dolphin or a porpoise) preserved in a spirit jar. Specimen stored at the Natural History Museum, London

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"Unveiling the Marvels of Placental Mammals: From Lucy to Sperm Whales" Step into a world where ancient creatures and modern marvels coexist. Meet Australopithecus afarensis, famously known as Lucy, our earliest ancestor in the hominin lineage. Her fossilized remains provide invaluable insights into human evolution. But the wonders don't stop there. Lord Walter Rothschild's zebra-drawn trap showcases his eccentricity and passion for wildlife conservation. Meanwhile, Ballyregan Bob, a majestic greyhound, exemplifies the elegance and speed of these domesticated placental mammals. Venture further back in time to encounter Megatherium, the colossal giant ground sloth that once roamed Earth. Its massive size leaves us awe-struck at nature's ability to create such extraordinary beings. The ferocious Smilodon fatalis with its iconic saber-like teeth takes center stage next. This fearsome sabre-toothed cat reminds us of prehistoric predators that ruled their habitats with unmatched prowess. In contrast to these formidable creatures, we have Mustela nivalis - the least weasel - showcasing how even small they can leave an indelible mark on our planet's biodiversity. Lord Lionel Walter Rothschild himself was not only a collector but also a pioneer in zoology. His contributions paved the way for scientific understanding and conservation efforts worldwide. Proconsul africanus represents an important link between primates and humans. Its existence sheds light on our common ancestry and offers glimpses into early primate behavior. Marvel at the sleek design of greyhounds; their streamlined bodies are perfectly adapted for high-speed pursuits—a testament to both natural selection and human intervention through selective breeding practices. Witness Homo habilis in action—an early member of our own genus who used tools skillfully millions of years ago—showcasing humanity's ingenuity from its very beginnings.