ZOOLOGICAL MUSEUM IN INDIA

DEFINITION:-

ZOOLOGICAL MUSEUM IS A SCIENTIFIC,CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN WHICH ANIMAL COLLECTIONS ARE ASSEMBLED (ANIMALS IN FIXING FLUIDS,DRIED OR SPECIALLY PREPARED ANIMALS,STUFFED ANIMALS SKELETONS.HIDES AND ARTICLES MADE FROM HORNS,BONES,SHELLS.ETC).

IN ZOOLOGICAL MUSEUMS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IS CONDUCTED ON THE TAXANOMIC DESCRIPITION OF FAUNA,ZOOGEOGRAPHY, VARIATIONS AND COMPARATIVE MORPHOLOGY AND ANATOMY. DISPLAYED COLLECTIONS ARE SHOWN IN EXHIBIT HALLS,WITH ANIMALS GENERALLY ARRANGED SYSTEMATICALLY.IN ZOOLOGICAL MUSEUMS OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS WHERE ZOOLOGY IS TAUGHT,COLLECTIONS ARE GENERALLY ARRANGED IN GLASS CASES. THERE ARE SEVERAL SPECIMENS OF NUMEROUS ITEMS FOR GROUP LABORATORY STUDIES.

The names of different zoological museums in india are:-

1.Andaman and Nicobar Islands zoological survey of India Museum.

2.Indian Museum ,Kolkatta.

3.Nehru zoological museum,Hyderabad.

4.Government museum,Chennai.

GOVERNMENT MUSEUM, CHENNAI-

THE ZOOLOGICAL GALLERIES OF GOVERNMENT MUSEUM,CHENNAI EXTENT OVER 11 HALLS,ADJOINING THE SCULTURES GALLERIES OF THE ARCHAELOGICAL SECTION.IN THE GROUND FLOOR GALLERIES EXHIBIT PERTAINING TO SKELETON, DENTITIONS, INTEGUMENTARY STRUCTURES, REPTILES, BIRDS, MAMMALS AND SOME FOREIGN ANIMALS ARE ON DISPLAY,WHILE IN THE 1ST FLOOR GALLERIES,INTERVERTEBRATES AND FISHES ARE ON DISPLAY.IN 1988 THE CHILDREN GALLERY ACCOMODATED IN THE MEZZANINE FLOOR OF THE NEW NATURAL HISTORY BLOCK,WAS MOVED TO THE NEW CHILDREN’S MUSEUM BUILDING.IN THE RECENT YEARS,NEW FEATURES INTRODUCED IN THE ZOOLOGICAL GALLERIES DISPLAYING ANIMALS,AS PLEASING AND ATTRACTIVE AS POSSIBLE BY EXHIBITING THEM IN THE FORM OF DIORMAS.BESIDES THE OUTSTANDING EXHIBITS OF VERTEBRATE ANIMALS,THE ZOOLOGICAL GALLERIES POSSESS A WEALTH OF MATERIA;S COMPROMISINGTHE LOWLY ORGANISED INVERTEBRATE ANIMALS.THE COLLECTION OF CORALS EXHIBITED IN THE FRONT HALL OF THE INVERTEBRATE GALLERY INCLUDES A WIDE RANGE OF SPECIMENS OF VARIOUS SPECIES.

BESIDES THE EXHIBITED SPECIMENS,THE ZOOLOGICAL SECTION POSSES A LARGE RESERVE COLLECTION CONSISTING OF OVER A THOUSAND SPECIMENS STORED IN JARS AND SEVERAL HUNDREDS OF SPECIMENS PRESERVED IN BOXES AND CABINET.

Specimens kept in zoological museum:-

SPECTACULAR AND OUTSTANDING EXHIBITS IN THE ZOOLOGICAL MUSEUMS ARE AS FOLLOWS:-

THE LARGEST AND THE MOST REPUTED AMONG THE EXHIBITS IN THE ZOOLOGICAL GALLERIES IS THE GIGANTIC SKELETON OF THE GREAT INDIAN BALEEN WHALES.ITS 60 FEET IN LENGTH.THE OTHER NOTABLE SKELETAL EXHIBITS IN THE MUSEUM ARE THE HUGE SKELETON

ELEPHANT AND ITS SKULL WITH TUSKS,THE SKELEON OF TIGER, PANTHER, KANGAROO, DUGONG AND THE SKELETON OF MAN AND HORSE.ALTHOUGH THE SCOPE OF COLLECTIONS IS LIMITED TO SOUTH INDIAN FAUNA, THIS MUSEM HAS ACQUIRED A FEW BIRDS AND MAMMALS FROM SOME FOREIGN COUNTRIES.AMONG THE EXHIBITS IN THIS GALLERY ARE THE ORANGUTAN, THE TAPIR, THE DUCK BILLED PLATYPUS, THE OSTRICH, THE CASSOWARY AND THE MACAW PARROTS ARE THE OUTSATANDING ONES.AMONG THE REPTILES EXHIBITED IN THE REPTILE GALLERY A HUGE SPECIMEN OF LEATHER TURTLE, A TORTOISE FROM SEYCHELLES, SPECIMENSOF THE INDIAN SPECIES OF CROCODILES, A LARGE NUMBER OF SOUTH INDIAN SPECIES OF POISONOUS AND NON-POISONOUS SNAKES AND THE SOUTH INDIAN SPECIES OF LIZARDS ARE IMPORTANT EXHIBITS.IN THE BIRD GALLERY A COMPLETE SERIES OF SOUTH INDIAN BIRDS ARE ARRANGED SYSTEMATICALLY IN THE NATURAL SEQUENCE.

THE OLD MAMMAL GALLERY IN THE 1ST FLOOR IS DEVOTED FOR FISHES.IN THIS GALERY AN ENORMOUS SPECIMEN OF THE WHALE SHARK OF 22 FEET LONG IS DISPLAYED.THE OTHER INDIAN FISHES ARE THE RAYNER’S SHARK, THE SAW FISH, TIGER SHARK AND THE SWORD FISH IMPRESS THE VISITORS. THE NOTABLE EXHIBITS IN THE INVERTEBRATE GALLERY ARE SACRED CHANK AND THE OTHER MOLLUSCAN SHELLS, STARFISH, SEA URCHINS AND INSECTS.