Whose Skull Is This?
Whose Skull Is This?
Whose Skull Is This?
Whose Skull Is This?
Whose Skull Is This?
Whose Skull Is This?
Whose Skull Is This?
I am Susanna Ramsey and I have a unique collection of natural history objects relating to British wildlife. Over the last ten years, I have assembled an extensive range of skulls, skeletons, bones, skins, feathers, wings, antlers, insect specimens and taxidermy, all from animals in the UK.
During 2010-2018, I took my Nature Collection into local primary schools to display and run workshops for the children, linking the exhibition to science topics in the National Curriculum such as Adaptations, Bones, Classification, Food Webs, Habitats, Life Cycles and Local Wildlife.
In 2018-2020, I worked with the leading schools' catalogue TTS ,to create a range of Educational Resources for primary schools, nurseries, after school clubs and families. There are Look & Learn Cards for British Birds, Mammals and Minibeasts, a Food Webs Activity Pack, Classification Packs for Natural History & British Wildlife, Animal Discovery Bags for exciting wildlife trails, Playground Signboards and Identification Wheels. To find out more, click here.
In 2021, I volunteered with the Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT) to create some free, downloadable resources for younger children. There are games of Wildlife Faces and Animal Dominoes, slideshows comparing Paired Pictures and Odd Ones Out and PowerPoints for six common UK Mammals, looking at their Skulls, Teeth and Adaptations. Click here for the UK Wildlife page and here for the Early Years Foundation Stage, under the Resources tab.
In 2022, I am volunteering with the Mammal Society to create a set of children's resources to inspire them to learn more about our wonderful UK mammals. There are short videos, labelled diagrams, food webs, quizzes, fun facts and plenty more in the pipeline. Click here for the Mammal Youth Hub.
In the school workshops, children and teachers were always completely fascinated to see what is inside the animals we see everyday, in our gardens or local parks. On these web pages, I want to continue to share my enthusiasm for the skeletons of our local wildlife.
Click below, to find out about other skeletons on some other web pages.
- Bird Skeletons
- Bird Skulls
- Mammal Skeletons
- Mammal Skulls & Teeth
- Tawny Owl Skeleton
- Mallard Duck Skeleton
- Grey Squirrel Skeleton
- Rat, Mouse, Vole & Shrew Skeletons
- Fish Bones
For web pages on other natural history topics, try these.
- The Nature Collection
- Insect Wings: A Photographic Study
- Butterfly & Moth Specimens at the Natural History Museum
- Other Insect Specimens at the Natural History Museum
- Seasons
- Local Habitats
- British Plants
These web pages are aimed at children.
- Whose Skull Is This? (Here)
- Whose Skin Covering Is This?
- Whose Life Cycle is This?
The above photo shows some of the 40 photo cards in the Classification:Natural History pack. Facts and size are shown on the back of each card. (See below.)
Exhibits and Thanks
Almost all of the animals in my collection were either found by myself, Susanna Ramsey, or donated by friends and family to The Nature Collection, as an educational resource. Huge thanks for all the tiny, carefully-wrapped bundles of feathers and bones, to Steve and Sam Read, John Lock, Chris Matcham, Franko Maroevic, Tim Howard, Jan Wilczur, Simon Richards, Peter Veniard, Paula Redmond, Phil Davis, Bob & Sally Black, Jo & Frank Sheppard and Katie Ramsey. Many of these people are naturalists and experts in their field; I am indebted to them too, for all that they have taught me about our local wildlife.
Over the years, I have been lucky enough to be a regular visitor to the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity at the Natural History Museum, London. The unimaginably-vast collection of British insect specimens, stored in row upon row, of metal, floor-to-ceiling cabinets has been a massive inspiration to me. There is something infinitely satisfying about the way every species has its own box, within a drawer, within a cabinet and that each can be found within minutes, by the care and expertise of the staff. To witness the incredible number of UK species of moth, beetle, butterfly, fly, grasshopper etc, is simply mind blowing and I feel so privileged to be able to visit and photograph some of the specimens!
I have used the photo stacking equipment at the Angela Marmont Centre to take highly-detailed photos of some of the specimens to put into slideshows for my primary school workshops. When I was young, I always wanted to be an archaeologist and it was my ambition to work in a museum; to sit in the Centre, using the equipment and handling the specimens, listening to the chatter of the experts at work, has been a dream come true. I am so grateful to the staff at the Centre for their encouragement and for always making me feel so welcome.
Thanks also to Tonja Grung of Made from the Dead Taxidermy, for sharing her incredible knowledge, patience and skill. I will never forget our amazing sessions on animal taxidermy.
The delicate skeletons were cleaned to perfection by a colony of flesh-eating, dermestid beetles, skilfully managed by Edward de Geer.
Sources of Information
- Books
- DK Eyewitness Books: Skeleton & Bird
- Collins: Complete Guide to British Animals
- Online Resources
- The Mammal Society
- Visits
- London Natural History Museum
- The British Wildlife Centre
BRITISH WILDLIFE PRODUCTS
If you know children who are interested in nature, are a teacher, or would like to learn more about British Wildlife yourself, explore the range of British Wildlife products recently created by The Nature Collection and the leading schools' catalogue, TTS.
The Classification: Natural History pack features 40 small photos of animal skeletons, skulls, feathers, insect specimens and much more, all from The Nature Collection!
The products are perfect for use in primary schools, nurseries, after school clubs, forest schools or at home with friends and family. Click on the links below to find out about each product.
Look & Learn Cards: British Birds, Mammals, Minibeasts
Classification: British Wildlife & Natural History
Identification Wheels: British Birds, Mammals & Minibeasts
Credits:
Susanna Ramsey