Zoological Museum of Moscow University, Moscow

One of the largest zoological museums in Russia, the Zoological Museum of Moscow University features over 4.5 million land and sea specimens. Only the Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences is larger. The Zoological Museum of Moscow University is also an important research facility regarding invertebrate zoology, entomology, ichthyology, ornithology and other branches of zoology. Each year results of research are published in the Researching Faunas.

The museum was established in 1791 as a museum of natural history. The lower floor of the museum contains the invertebrates, fish, amphibians and reptiles exhibitions while the upper floor holds the birds and mammals displays. Visitors will enjoy the displays which show some specimens in their natural habitat, the paintings of animals by Russian artists, and the numerous exhibits that occur frequently. Contributions from professional organizations like the Russian Academy of Sciences ensure that new specimens are regularly available for public viewing. More than 1,700 excursions are offered each year in Russian and English and an average of 150,000 patrons visits the museum each year. The museum is open 10 am to 6 pm Tuesday through Sunday, on Thursday is open 1 pm to pm. The museum is closed on Mondays and the last Tuesday of each month.