During your visit to this New Haven, Connecticut attraction, explore natural history through the Museum’s permanent and special exhibit halls. Shopping is offered in the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History Store.
Exhibits
Fossil Fragments
Take part in the scientific search for our ancestry in Fossil Fragments. This exhibit provides a wealth of information and showcases a number of fossils on the evolution of our human ancestors.
Hall of Native American Cultures
Discover 360 objects from the Peabody’s substantial Native American collections in the Hall of Native American Cultures. Significant holdings on view include Blackfoot, Apache and Sioux clothing, Cheyenne games, a Crow saddle, Navaho blankets, Zuni and Hopi pottery, Pima basketry and historical pieces like the headdress and pipe of Oglala chief Red Cloud.
Down Under Dreamings
Admire works from the Flynn Collection of Aboriginal Art in Down Under Dreamings. The Flynn Collection of Aboriginal Art supports the animist framework of Australian Aboriginal mythology that “Dreamtime,” is a place beyond time and space in which the past, present and future exist wholly as one. Highlighted in the exhibit is Namangwari, Salt Water Crocodile by John Mawurndjul, a painting on eucalyptus bark with earth pigments.
The Great Hall
As you wander through the Great Hall you will encounter some of the extensive fossils collected in the late 19th century including the Peabody’s largest mounted skeleton, an Apatosaurus. Additional displays in the Great Hall include: skeletons and a model of the carnivorous dinosaur Deinonychus; Archelon, the largest species of turtle ever known; skeletons of the toothed birds Hesperornis; Ichthyornis, a composite slab of fossil dinosaur footprints from Connecticut; and a fossil crinoid, the “sea lily” Seirocrinus.
Hall of Mammalian Evolution
Discover the Museum’s collections in the Division of Vertebrate Paleontology, belonging to the main group of mammals that evolved during the Cenozoic Era. Highlights include the Otisville Mastodon and the Brontotherium acquired in the 19th century by Yale’s O.C. Marsh. A 60-foot mural, The Age of Mammals, by Rudolph F. Zallinger interprets the evolution of North American mammals during the Cenozoic Era.
The Discovery Room
Touch 100-million-year-old fossils, see a human magnified more than 20 times under a microscope or follow dinosaur tracks. The Discovery Room offers the chance for you to discover the Museum’s collection in its entirety with a large sampling of materials that reflect the Museum’s impressive collection of 12 million specimens and artifacts.
Daily Life in Ancient Egypt
Explore Egyptian civilization from the Predynastic Period through the Greek and Roman Periods in Daily Life in Ancient Egypt. Displayed throughout the exhibit is the granite Head of Osiris, the relief of Mentu-her-khepeshef Worshipping Osiris and the black diorite Bust of a Ptolemaic King. Of great significance is the Museum’s mummy resting in a decorated inscribed tomb from the Late Period of Egyptian art Dynasties.
Birds of Connecticut
Learn about the 421 species of birds found in the state of Connecticut. Birds of Connecticut houses 722 mounted specimens including 300 species that occur regularly in the state, with each specimen represented by one or more specimens showing sex, age and seasonal plumage differences.
Hall of Minerals Earth and Space
Marvel at the wonders of our planet and solar system in the Hall of Minerals Earth and Space. The Earth and the Solar System display lets you journey through geologic history at the beginning of time and features pieces of Mars and Moon rock, images and stories from NASA and a 1,635 pound meteorite from Red River, Texas. Get answers to your questions about our planet’s forces in Geology and Earth Forces. The Atmospheres, Oceans and Climates display explores how rocks of the continents and ocean basins interact with our atmosphere and oceans influence climate. Explore the rich geologic history of southern New England in Connecticut, A Natural Geological Laboratory. The World of Minerals explores how minerals form and grow, why crystals have such alluring shapes and colors and how to use practical skills of mineral identification on hikes and outdoor trips. Highlighted is a display of the spectacular gemstones and jewelry from the Benjamin Zucker and Barbara Zucker Family Collection.
Shop the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History Store
Be sure to stop by the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History Store. An assortment of gifts and keepsakes that reflect natural history are available to purchase including books and calendars, apparel and accessories, and Age of Reptile and Age of Mammals items.
- The Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History is ADA compliant. Complimentary wheelchairs are available for use on a first-come, first-serve basis.
- The Admission Desk, located in the lobby, can provide you with information on nearby eateries and restaurants.
- Do not miss the life-size bronze sculpture of the dinosaur Torosaurus latus, next to the Yale Peabody Museum.