Museum of Zoology, Cambridge

12/06/2026

Pride Month Mini-Series:

Happy Pride Month: let's talk about bears in LGBTQ+ Culture!

Want to learn more? Book onto our next FREE Pride in Nature tour on 14th and 21st June. Tickets can be booked via our website: https://www.museum.zoo.cam.ac.uk/events/pride-nature-lgbtq-tour-17

Transcript:
Slide 1: ‘Bear’ is a term popularised within the LGBTQ+ community in the 1980s to describe a gay or bi man of large build with lots of hair, inspired by the animal. This illustration comes from a 1979 article published in Advocate titled "Who's Who in the Zoo: A Glossary of Gay Animals", which is thought to be one of the first recorded usages of the term "bear" to describe men in gay subculture.

Slide 2: Incidentally, Bruce Bagemihl reports in Biological Exuberance (1999) decades of data documenting same-sex behaviour among black, brown, grizzly, and polar bears.

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11/06/2026

Pride Month Mini-Series:

Happy Pride from the Museum of Zoology! To celebrate, here are some fun facts about both LGBTQ+ themes in nature and themes of nature in LGBTQ+ culture.

Want to learn more? Book onto our next FREE Pride in Nature tour on 14th and 21st June. Tickets can be booked on our website: https://www.museum.zoo.cam.ac.uk/events/pride-nature-lgbtq-tour-17

Transcript:
Slide 2: Giraffes have been described as the ‘gayest’ animal in the animal kingdom, with homosexual behaviour present in both males and females in the wild. One study of giraffes in Tanzania found 94% of all observed sexual activity was between two males.

Slide 3: Much of what we know of giraffes is thanks to Anne Innis Dagg, and in her 1958 paper “The Behaviour of the Giraffe”, she observed that “Homosexual behaviour is much more in evidence than heterosexual behaviour.” In 1984, she used her research to support gay and le***an rights, combating the argument that homosexuality was ‘unnatural’.

09/06/2026

🐳Why is there a fin whale skeleton in Cambridge? 🐳 What can our dodo skeleton tell us? Curious about what Darwin collected whilst he was studying? Join us for a FREE expert guided tour! Tours are monthly, next tour: Friday 12 June at 3pm https://ow.ly/hrsk50Z9puA

03/06/2026

This take a look around the Museum with our Pride In Nature trail. It's about how q***r perspectives help us to understand the natural world & how 'science' has actively hidden same-sex behaviour in animals. Trail & Museum entry FREE

28/05/2026

📢SAVE THE DATES! 📢
🐝Our biggest family event of the year ZoologyLive! is on Sat 4 July, all activities FREE, everyone welcome
🐞PLUS don't miss ZoologyLive! - The Livestream, online Thurs 2 July. We'll be talking about ladybirds - get your questions ready!
Check our website for all the details over the coming weeks!🙂

27/05/2026

in Nature 🏳️‍🌈 tours coming on Sunday 14 & 21 June at 1pm. Book your FREE place & discover the stories that are sometimes left untold... Tours led by expert volunteers. Everyone welcome. Book ahead https://ow.ly/smzo50Z4C8N

21/05/2026

😎It's a bank holiday weekend coming - here are our opening hours:
🌞Sat 23 May: 10am - 4.30pm
🌞Sun 24 May: 12 noon - 4.30pm
🌞Mon 25 May: 12 noon - 4.30pm
It's due to be HOT outside, but it's always cool in the Museum 😉Do pop in!

20/05/2026

🐝It's World Bee Day! Not all bumblebees are the same - did you know there are 24 different species in the UK? Eight of those are listed as conservation priority species - find out more about bees & pollinators on our blog 🐝https://ow.ly/vZK550Z24xI

19/05/2026

From Darwin to Dodo

Join us on Friday, 12th June, for our next free guided tour at the Museum of Zoology and discover the fascinating stories behind some of our most iconic specimens. From evolution and extinction to extraordinary animals past and present, there’s something for every curious mind.

Place: Museum of Zoology, Cambridge
Date: Friday, 12th June at 3 pm

The tour is FREE! Book tickets on our website: https://www.museum.zoo.cam.ac.uk/events/darwin-dodos-guided-tour-1

Bring your friends, family, and curiosity: we’ll see you there!

Uncover the fascinating stories behind our collections, from the beetles of Charles Darwin to the tale of our fin whale.Why is there a fin whale skeleton in Cambridge? What can we learn from our Dodo skeleton? What did Darwin collect here and on the Voyage of the Beagle, and what can these collectio...

13/05/2026

TONIGHT, Wed 13 May 5.30pm - join us in Cambridge as Elizabeth Yale & James Costa talk about their new book 'The Descent Of Man - an annotated edition' Talk is in the main zoology lecture theatre, with Museum galleries & shop open afterwards. FREE 🙂https://ow.ly/tjty50YYUZp