(Claw of Baryonyx walkeri) Baryonyx means 'heavy claw'. Unusually for a carnivorous dinosaur we know it ate fish as scientists have found fish scales and teeth with its fossil where its stomach would have been.

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From the Beginning

Taking you right back to the big bang and the history of time itself, here you can explore the distant past, discover early sea creatures and mammals – and take a peek into the Earth’s future...

From the Beginning gallery.

Travel back in time and discover the amazing story of the survival of life on Earth. See how the planet has evolved by examining the time rail that runs through the gallery. With every step you take, you move on 25 million years.

The planets in our solar system.

Did you know Saturn’s low density means it would float in water? Or that the surface of Mars is red because of iron oxide dust? Use our interactive display to get to know the planets in our solar system.

One of the oldest rocks on Earth.

One of the oldest rocks on Earth is about 3,850 million years old and was found in Greenland. The different layers show how intense heat and pressure have altered the sediments in the rock.

Giant crocodile skull, with T.rex skull next to it.

This fearsome creature was a gigantic crocodile. Its skull is estimated to be 83–71 million years old – older even than the T. rex skull next to it. The beast may have preyed on dinosaurs at the water’s edge.

Skull of an early horse

The horse has undergone a long process of evolution to become the creature we know today. This is the skull of an early horse found in Harwich, in Essex. It lived some 54 million years ago and evolved after the dinosaurs became extinct.

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Cartoon image of lab coats

Over three million people visit the Museum each year, more than the population of London when the Museum was built, in 1881