Museum Address
Zoology Museum,
Department of Zoology, Maharaja’s College,
opposite Subash Bose Park, Ernakulam
Email
principal@maharajas.ac.in
Museum website
https://www.maharajas.ac.in/department/Zoology
Are there any docents or guides who visitors can directly call to book for a guided tour?
No
When was the museum established?
1874
Briefly describe the history of the museum, its collection and donors.
Maharaja’s College Zoology Museum is India’s oldest college museum. It started functioning in 1874, a year before the institute was upgraded to the status of a college.
The museum is a paradise for anyone interested in the discipline of zoology, natural history and allied subjects. It displays more than 1500 specimens. Most of the items on display at the museum were acquired under the special instructions of British officials who were associated with the college in the colonial era. The museum offers immense potential for research and many of the specimens available here are recorded as endangered, rare and very rare in the red data book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); these include Australian kangaroo, duck-billed platypus, American armadillo, South American lungfish, kiwi from New Zealand, Mexican horned lizard, African ostrich, seal from the North Atlantic, heloderma, sponges, flat worms, and corals.
Most of the specimens are considered to be the oldest available ones in India. Especially, with the legal reforms and ban on taxonomy, it is impossible to replicate the vast collection of taxidermised specimens available at the museum.
Workshops/seminars/lectures
Yes
Library and archives services
No
IT facilities ( Photocopying, printing, computer )
Yes
Conference/ Seminar hall
Yes
Who manages the museum?
Others
Others:
Maharaja’s College
Person-in-charge of the museum
Other
Reference Link
https://www.maharajas.ac.in/department/Zoology
What is the average duration to see the museum?
1-2 hours
Map your museum’s correct location on the map given below.
Is the museum currently closed?
Yes
Reasons
Museum is expected to be relocated to a more spacious complex and currently it can be accessed with the permission of the authorities
Image for museum exterior/building
Gallery Images
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An inside view of the museum | Image Credits: Thejus Jo Puthussery
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Various models on display at the museum | Image Credits: Thejus Jo Puthussery
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Astrophylon on display | Image Credits: Thejus Jo Puthussery
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A seal specimen on display | Image Credits: Thejus Jo Puthussery
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A collection of snakes from South India on display | Image Credits: Thejus Jo Puthussery
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King cobra (listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List) on display | Image Credits: Thejus Jo Puthussery
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A human skeleton on display | Image Credits: Thejus Jo Puthussery
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Vertebral column of a whale | Image Credits: Thejus Jo Puthussery
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Museum premises | Image Credits: Thejus Jo Puthussery
Opening Days
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Interesting things about the Museum
The rare and unique collection, curated from all corners of the world offers immense possibility for research.
Most uninteresting aspect of the museum
Space constraint
b. Range of food items
Average
d. Cleanliness and Hygiene
Average
a. Helpfulness (guides, guards, curator, director)
Above average
b. Approachability (curator, director)
Great
Name of Museum Surveyor
Anjana Menon & Thejus Jo Puthussery
