Taxidermy and preserved specimens are an important source of scientific study, helping us understand how species change over time. In some cases, such specimens are all that remains of species that are now extinct.

Many of the objects in this display, came into the museum in the early 20th century. At this time their numbers in the wild were much greater than they are today.

In fact the animals on display represent some of the most endangered in the UK. Thus imagining a future where these creatures only exist in their preserved form, perhaps doesn’t seem that unrealistic.