Latvian National Museum of Nature to Open New Exhibition 'Skeletonarium' 0 6

The exhibition brings together an extensive osteological collection from the zoological collection of the Latvian National Museum of Nature, as well as from the Museum of Osteology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies. Nearly 300 exhibits allow visitors to explore the diversity of vertebrate skeletons. Here, skeletons and their parts of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are presented, including skulls, limbs, and vertebrae.

The collection items on display were created from the early 20th century to the present day. The fauna of Latvia is widely represented, but skeletons and their parts of animals from other regions can also be seen. The exhibition discusses such key parts of the skeleton as the skull, spine, ribs, and sternum, limbs and their ligaments. The structure, functions, and adaptations to the animal's habitat are described. A separate showcase features cartilages and bones that do not belong to any of the main parts of the skeleton, such as the calcaneus of a domestic pig.

The most numerous are the skulls, a significant portion of which consists of a historical collection of skulls of Latvian bird species. The showcases also feature skeletons of a camel, rhea, dwarf stingray, caiman, Galápagos tortoise, and other animals. A vertebra of a fin whale, one of the largest animals in the world, is also presented. The exhibitions are complemented by interactive elements.