Want to borrow a dinosaur fossil? Try California’s one-of-a-kind taxidermy lending library
Summary
The San Diego Natural History Museum in California lets the public borrow real animal and fossil specimens, such as a whale rib or a dinosaur poop fossil, for two-week periods. This “taxidermy lending library” program is unique in the U.S. and began from a 1920s school loan program that expanded to all interested people in the early 2000s.Key Facts
- The museum allows people to check out real specimens, not replicas, including fossils, animal pelts, and taxidermy animals.
- There are about 1,400 specimens available, including a megalodon tooth and a king cobra head preserved in a jar.
- The program originally started to loan nature kits to San Diego schools in the 1920s.
- The public lending program started in the early 2000s, making it accessible to anyone interested.
- Most other natural history museums lend specimen kits only to schools, not the general public.
- Experts say the program fits a larger trend of museums sharing collections in new ways with the public.
- Borrowers can easily pick and carry specimens on carts, just like grocery shopping.
- Popular animals to borrow include predator mammals like coyotes, bobcats, and foxes.
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