Dublin's Dead Zoo
@DublinDeadZoo
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Behind the scenes at Dublin's Dead Zoo. Unofficial account, run for fun. Opinions are personal, not those of the NMI.
Dublin City, Ireland
Joined December 2016
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
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You may notice that our Basking Shark has been fitted with a nappy.
The high humidity levels this summer softened the previously hard skin, making it pull away from the underlying form, so we had to secure it.
We ask that visitors refrain from pointing and singing 'Baby Shark'
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It's official, we've reopened!
Only the Ground Floor is open and due to high demand and limited space we're unable to take groups and booking is essential (but free!)
You can get your free tickets here:
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Apparently some people like the marine animals made of glass by the Blaschka father & son team back in the mid-late 19thC. We have hundreds of them. Would you come and see them if we put them on special display? RT for yes, like if you like them but wouldn't visit.
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We're delighted to be open again and you no longer need to book a visit (unless you have a group: )
We'll do what we can to help you enjoy your visit, but please remember that we have limited capacity, so you may need to queue for entry at busy times.
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Two years ago, we started work to empty our upper levels - including the removal of two suspended whales - in order to install a working platform so roof works can take place.
That major building work is now done! Although we have plenty to do before we can reopen.
#DeadZooDiary
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It's official, we reopen on 2nd August!
Only the Ground Floor will be open and due to high demand and limited space we're unable to take groups and booking is essential (but free!)
You can get your free tickets here:
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At the
#DeadZoo
we have the most amazing glass 'baubles' - radiolarian models made by the Blaschkas over 130 years ago and still stunning!
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This platypus is disappointed by someone saying "platypi". The plural is "platypuses" or "platypodes" and anything else gets *the look*
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Sometimes you have your work cut out trying to engage the public with marine invertebrates. Names like this just don't help
#TaxonomyTuesday
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Everyone (and everything) at the Dead Zoo would like to wish you a very happy and healthy 2022!
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Imagine, some people think
#insects
are ugly and boring. Just goes to shows that some people aren't paying attention
#beetlemania
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1. The Dublin Dead Zoo has been largely unchanged for generations – a much loved museum of a museum that transports visitors back in time. Part of the timeless feel is created by the historic cases and game heads lining all available pillars and walls
@Nat_SCA
#NatSCAConservation
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Since
@Dave_Hone
asked so nicely for a
#DeadZoo
Thylacine pic, here's one showing details of the dental structure
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Sad to think that when we were being built in 1856 the
#thylacine
was being persecuted. 80 years later the last one died of exposure in Hobart Zoo. You'd think humanity would have learned the lesson, but species are still disappearing because of our actions. Not cool.
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After a long lockdown we are pleased to be reopening tomorrow (Monday, July 20)!
If you want to visit you will need to book online, so we can manage numbers and keep your visit safe.
You can book your free tickets here: we look forward to seeing you!
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My dad is 145, pursuing a modeling career, and I’ve never seen him happier. He told me he’s just waiting for a chance to blow up. So, Twitter, meet my dad.
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When gay penguins were first recorded in 1911, it wasn't published, so penguins remained stuck in the closet for nearly another century.
Now Penguins are well-known for having lasting same-sex relationships, sometimes rearing adopted offspring.
#DublinPride
#Muspride
#Pride2019
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In 1885 we acquired these Cloth of Gold gloves, painstakingly made from the spun 'beard' or byssal threads of Pinna mussels.
#molluscmonday
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We have a new Keeper at the Dead Zoo!
@PaoloViscardi
talks about the newly announced
@DeptCulturelRL
funded project to bring new life to our collections and building. There's a lot of planning to do and don't forget the Elephant in the Room!
#DeadZooDiary
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If you want to take a tour of the Dead Zoo from the comfort of your own home, here's where to go:
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Vital piece of
#MuseumKit
for day 4 of
#Museum30
.
We use Rotring pens for labels, as the ink is stable in alcohol and water, plus it doesn't fade. People in another 200+ years need to read what our curators today are writing
#museumdocumentation
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Just remember, you could be a beautiful dinosaur, the pinnacle of hundreds of millions of years of evolution, able to fly better than any other vertebrate and feeding on the sweetest nectar from flowers shaped to offer their gifts to only you, but still end up as spider food.
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Spotticus always grabs the limelight, but our *fabulous* zebra looks so much more elegant when flying through the air
#DeadZooDiary
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If anyone ever tries to tell you that LGBTQ+ is "unnatural" they're wrong.
Almost every species that has been studied has shown some homosexual behaviour or non-binary gender states.
Always be proud to be who you are.
#DublinPride
#Muspride
#Pride2019
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Some of the insects in the Dead Zoo that were collected by Charles Darwin from South America during the voyage of the Beagle.
#DarwinDay
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Remember that male platypodes have venomous spurs, so don't make them angry by calling them platypi, you'll regret it
#googlyeyeananimal
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Day 14 of
#Museum30
- Pen.
We're picky about our pens in the Dead Zoo. They need to write on a variety of surfaces and the ink has to stand the test of time. They also have to stand the test of alcohol, to make sure they don't run if used with fluid preserved specimens.
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Been a bit quiet recently, trying to forget how old we are (160 this year). Here are some shiny beetles as a distraction!
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4. The Marl, another bandicoot that has apparently been barred. We're not sure where from, but it was probably for a good reason.
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When you look as fine as our Hippo, you NEVER get overlooked.
#OverlookedTaxidermy
#TaxidermyWeek
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When nature decides to go glam, it doesn't mess around. A very
#MerryChristmas
to all our followers!
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We're putting the final touches to our new exhibition in Collins Barracks, ready for the doors to open tomorrow (Dec 10th) at 1pm. We're pleased with how it's looking and we really hope you enjoy it!
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Need an escape from the Xmas chaos? Take a trip back 150 million years in our new free exhibition in Collins Barracks.
If you like fossils, feathers and things that fly then this is definitely for you!
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@GQMagazine
@1followernodad
Bit like saying 'restaurants are garbage date spots' if you frequent restaurants that don't serve food either of you enjoy.
Could it be that different people get different things out of their experiences based on what they like?
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Accommodation is a problem for Pearlfish. Finding the right Sea-cucumber anus to live in is even harder than finding a cheap flat in Dublin.
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Apologies, but we are closed while enabling work for the conservation of our roof takes place. We have removed exhibits from the upper floors (check out
#DeadZooDiary
) and the building is full of scaffolding. We will reopen as soon as we can provide safe access for the public.
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Eudicella morgani is too fabulous to sit quietly in line in the drawer like all the other Flower Beetles.
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5. We have no lift! 😱We needed an efficient way of packing, handling & transporting heads from the building. We chose to use a handling board, with a stretcher to carry it down stairs. The board allowed safe handling and provided securing points for transport
#NatSCAConservation
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We were going to tweet for
#NationalPuppyDay
but realised that all our specimens are dead, and nobody wants to look at dead puppies.
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After 10 months of painstaking work with our
@mwarthandling
team we just waved goodbye to the last truckload of 20,000 specimens decanted from our upper levels. They're off to our collections resource cente, while we continue work onsite to get our roof replaced.
#DeadZooDiary
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Gosse's images inspired some of the Blaschka glass models we have at the
#DeadZoo
@HistSciArt
@BioDivLibrary
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Moving skeletons takes planning, especially when they're as tall as our giraffe. The first step is to remove the skull and neck bones, to reduce the weight up high and minimise the risk of the specimen toppling or bits falling off. Time to get the scaffolding out!
#DeadZooDiary
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Sorry we've been quiet on social media recently. It's been a busy time getting ready for an exciting temporary natural history exhibition at Collins Barracks. We're almost ready to let the cat out of the bag, or should I say the bird out of the box...
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2. Unfortunately, our historic building is in much need of renovation. In particular the roof has reached the end of its life and is in dire need of replacement.
But to do this requires the decant of several thousand specimens, including 333 game heads
#NatSCAConservation
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Love this old collection of ants that shows the eggs and pupal stages!
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Did I hear that
#MuseumWhales
are a thing? Here are the double-decker Fin and Sperm Whales at the
#DeadZoo
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All of our Great Auk material is from archaeological or palaeontological deposits and fits in one drawer. Sad to think that a whole species is now only known from a few specimens in museums and some artwork.
#TheLostAuk
#InternationalMuseumDay
#IMD2018
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@Ben_garrod
@TetZoo
@Dean_R_Lomax
@NHM_London
@Nat_SCA
@SPNHC
We have the type of Rhomaleosaurus (the one
@NHM_London
have a cast of on Waterhouse Way with a picture of Mary Anning). Here's the skull:
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We're moving our insect collections, so prepare for a lot of
#Entomology
tweets!
#BeetleMania
#AnInordinateFondness
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One of our many Giant Irish Deer getting a broken tine cleaned for repair by our awesome volunteer Megan
#FossilFriday
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I wonder if somebody once thought "this box of beautiful butterflies isn't edgy enough... let's add some cockroaches and scorpions"
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Our Ground Floor is open!
Normal hours (10-5 Tues-Sat, 2-5 Sun-Mon) and no need to book a visit, unless you have a group: …
Please remember that we have limited capacity, so you may need to queue for entry at busy times. We look forward to your visit!
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Happy
#YearOfTheOx
!
We have a few of these impressive beasts to take down from the walls and bring down from the balconies as part of our decant. It's no mean feat moving them, this one weighs more than most of the people on the team.
#DeadZooDiary
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For
#ChristmasEve
we're sharing our most
#ChristmasTree
-like Blaschka glass model. A stunning 136 year old glass sculpture of a radiolarian
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Some of the
#DeadZoo
collections have been dead for a long time. These grasshoppers were collected by Nathanael Gottfried Leske in the 1770s
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Have you been playing
@Yara_Haridy
's
#GuessTheSkull
?
Here's one of our exploded skull specimens if you need another cryptic cranial fix. Any idea what it's from?
#NHLockdown
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Last week we reopened to the public. It was fantastic to see people enjoying the Dead Zoo again!
This week work starts on our First Floor, in preparation for taking down our whales, so our roof can be replaced. But the Irish Room remains open.
Follow
#DeadZooDiary
for updates!
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Not all of the
#DeadZoo
objects are dead. Some were never alive, like our collection of over 550 Blaschka glass models.
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Getting ready for our roof work is a bigger job than you might think. After decanting c.20,000 objects, we've had to take apart one of our historic cases to make way for a lifting bay for steel joists to be put in position to make a crash deck and working platform.
#deadzoodiary
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All of our specimens are
#unique
, since each one represents a different individual with a different life and collections history. Some of our objects are also very rare. This Blaschka sponge model was only sold to 7 museums and most were destroyed in WW2
#Museum30
#BlaschkaMonday
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Blah, blah, blah. This open-billed stork (Anastomus lamelligerus) literally *never* shuts it's mouth.
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Since it's
#DarwinDay
it only seems right to share some wasp and fly specimens that Charles Darwin collected during the Voyage of the Beagle. These were sent to Irish entomologist Alexander Henry Haliday for identification.
Note the label "Bahia" which is in Darwin's handwriting.
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It looks like there's a lot of love for the
#Thylacine
, so here's another specimen from the
#DeadZoo
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As part of our decant to prepare for roof work we've been clearing our Middle Balcony of specimens. Almost 2 thousand birds of all shapes and sizes have been wrapped and packed by the
@mwarthandling
team.
#DeadZooDiary
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Our Paca is still sassy despite being 113 years old.
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The Irish Wolfhound almost disappeared in the 19th Century
The modern breed is a reinvigoration based on a few of the original breed, with input from Great Danes, Borzoi & English Mastiffs
This is one of the few preserved examples of an old breed Irish Wolfhound
#StPatricksDay
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Is it too late to share a superb owl? Of course not, it's never too late for a sublime strigiform.
#SuperbOwl
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10. So far we're about halfway through the decant of our game heads, but we're also moving other object ranging from worms to whales. To see more about the work we're doing check out the
#DeadZooDiary
hashtag on Twitter
#NatSCAConservation
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This sunfish just heard about a US university that's willing to throw away 6 million fish specimens to extend their sports stadium.
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We reopen on August 2nd - be sure sure to book in advance (link to follow) tickets are free, but we have many more specimens needing conservation, so if you would like to help us with funding more of this kind of work visit:
#DeadZooDiary
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It's
#HippoDay
so here's our most fabulous Hippopotamus showing the world what poise really means
#worldhippoday
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Which collective noun to use for our group of Hippopotamuses?
A bloat? (Doesn't work well for the skeleton)
A thunder? (Doesn't work well for the teensy Pygmy Hippo)
Let's go with a huddle.
Here's to our huddle of Hippos!
#WorldHippoDay
#HippoDay
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If your taxidermy is grumpy about its receding hairline then you may have moth trouble. If it isn't then you probably need to watch out for arsenic. Either way, it's
#TroublingTaxidermy
#TaxidermyWeek
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A
#BehindTheScenes
#MuseumSelfie
with our curators of Zoology and Geology plus a giant ammonite
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