What will you discover at Museum Zoo?

Museum Zoo includes a selection of prehistoric and modern animals which promise to impress, intrigue and inform visitors of all ages.

Be amazed by the multitude of animals on display.
How many will you recognise?
Challenge what you know about the world around you.

• Is bigger necessarily better in terms of survival?
• Compare your own size and scale to the animals you see as you find yourself walking (and jumping and stretching) beside the 4 legged, 10 legged and no legs!
• Examine physical and social adaptations like families, feathers, fur, fins. See how these adaptations impact upon survival.

This collection presents an awesome array of creatures in an 'Animal Parade', on the 'Great Wall' and even under your own magnifying glass! Discover who is the hunter, the hunted and the hidden.

Entry to this exhibition is FREE.

Students and teachers

Resources for students and teachers, including booking details, curriculum links and activities for students, are available, or you can visit Queensland Museum South Bank Learning for more information about our exciting range of programs.

What things can you do now?

The biggest threat to animals, large and small is loss of habitat. All over the world, on land and sea, humans are destroying and polluting habitats.

• Use a AAA-rated showerhead. You will save water and energy.
• Plant a native bush garden.
• Buy goods with minimal packaging.
• Turn off electronic devices at the power point.

For more tips on what to do around the home visit the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts [new window]* and explore Sustainable Households [new window]* or Global Warming Cool It: A home guide to reducing energy costs and greenhouse gases [new window]*.

Find out more
Find out more about Queensland's climate history and what you can do now by watch the webcast highlights of Climate Change Down Under, a past Queensland Museum Public Program, and reading the information booklet that goes with it.

What are QM scientists doing now?
Queensland Museum biodiversity collections contain over 5 million specimens, spanning the entire animal kingdom, from single-celled protozoans to whales and dinosaur fossils collected over a period of 140 years.
Find out more about the scientists who work at Queensland Museum and their research.

Record Holders

Compare yourself to some of these record-holding animals when you visit the 'Great Wall' in Museum Zoo:

• Blue whale: The Blue Whale is the largest animal ever known, even bigger than the dinosaurs. It eats some of the smallest animals in the sea. To survive, an adult must consume an astounding 3600 kilograms or up to 40 million small, shrimp-like krill every day. That's about 3 per cent of its body weight each day. How much food do you eat in a day?

• Procoptodon: The extinct Giant Short-faced Kangaroo is the largest of all kangaroos. Twice the size of a Red Kangaroo, it had hook-like paws, unusual feet (each had a single broad claw) and a short, flat face. It lived 600 000-40 000 years ago. Imagine a mob of these kangaroos jumping across the land.

• The Giant Bird-eating Spider: The Giant Bird-eating Spider is the biggest living spider. A tarantula, it is native to South American rainforests. Fully extended, its legs can be 30 centimetres long. It can weigh more than 120 grams. How many spans of your hand would this spider be?

• Harpy Eagle: The Harpy Eagle is the most powerful eagle alive today. It has a muscular body, short wings and a long tail. Like many birds of prey, the female is heavier than the male and can weigh up to 9 kilograms.

Want to know more?
Check out our fact sheets, about frequently requested topics, such as 'Dangerous Sharks', 'Redback Spiders' and 'Kangaroos'.