Beneath our feet, Madrid holds a treasure. It is the Earth and Universe Hall at the National Museum of Natural Sciences. This museum is one of Europe’s oldest. King Carlos III established it in 1771. He called it the Royal Cabinet of Natural History.
Today, the Earth and Universe Hall holds millions of specimens. These are historical collections. They are of great value. The museum is part of the Higher Council for Scientific Research. This promotes research in many fields. Paleobiology, geology, evolutionary biology, ecology, and climate change are among them. Exhibitions share knowledge from the museum. They explain Earth’s history and the diversity of life.
Let’s explore the Geology section. Here, dinosaur skeletons star. Other fossil remains tell the story. They show Earth’s evolution. More than 4.5 billion years are on display. Fossils from all geological eras await us.
The Diplodocus carnegii skeleton stands out. It is known as “Dippy”. The Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh gave it. Andrew Carnegie donated this replica to King Alfonso XIII in 1913. “Dippy” is a museum highlight.
Another star is the Mastodon Gomphotherium angustidens. It is a complete specimen from Europe. They found it in Yuncos. That is a town near Toledo in Spain. Gomphotheres were elephant-sized. They had four tusks. The upper ones were bigger.
Imagine the size of extinct animals. The Earth and Universe Hall shows them off. The Megatherium is here. So are the Elephas antiquus and the Cave bear. The Megatherium americanum arrived long ago. It came from Argentina. It was the first skeleton put together anatomically. Cuvier studied it. He is the father of paleontology.
The elephant, Elephas antiquus, lived in Europe during the Pleistocene Epoch. They found this one in Madrid in 1958. It stood in an old railway station. The museum used remains from at least two elephants for the display. It is 4.5 meters tall. The tusks are 2.5 meters long.
Now let’s step into the biodiversity area. The exhibition highlights biodiversity. It shows why we must protect it. This section explains what biodiversity is. It shows different biomes on Earth. See the African elephant. Admire the whale skeleton. Look at the bee-eaters diorama.
José María Benedito created the bee-eaters diorama in 1916. It shows 37 bee-eaters. The diorama shows aspects of the birds’ lives. These birds migrate to Spain to breed.
The African elephant is special. The Duke of Alba hunted it in Sudan in 1913. Luis Benedito mounted it in 1930. The elephant’s skin weighed 600 kg. It covered 37 square meters. They sent it to the Royal Botanic Garden to prepare it.
The common rorqual skeleton is huge. It is the second biggest animal after the blue whale. This female whale beached in Marbella in 2008. It is 21 meters long. Its bones weigh 2500 kg.
Don’t miss the Royal Cabinet area. This recreates Carlos III’s original cabinet. The National Museum of Natural History continues its legacy. See historical items. There is the Asian elephant. There is also the Malayan Pangolin. And a painting of a female anteater.
The Malayan Pangolin came from Java. The Leiden museum gave it as a gift. Pangolins eat insects. They live in Asian tropical forests. Hunting threatens this species.
The Asian elephant is an early specimen. The governor of the Philippines gifted it to Carlos III. It died in Spain in 1777. The king asked Juan Bautista Brú to preserve it. He wanted to show it at the Royal Cabinet.
Look at the Japanese giant spider crab. It is the biggest arthropod. It is almost 4 meters long. It can live for 100 years. Rafael Mengs painted the anteater. Researchers think Francisco de Goya may have painted it.
The Earth and Universe Hall shows us our world. It shows the history of life. Take time to explore it. Discover the wonders of our planet.