Natural History Museum of Heraklion

Natural History Museum of Heraklion

The Natural History Museum works under the framework of the University of Crete and is on the Sofoklis Venizelos coastal Street.

The exhibition of the museum is divided into seven sections, Megadioramas, the gigantean Deinotherium, the “Live Museum”, the Seismic Table, the Discovery Center, the Fossils’ part and the earthquakes and volcanoes rooms. There is also a shop in the museum.

Megadioramas is an important part of the central exhibition and show the life in the forests, the water lands, the shores, the deserts and the ecosystems of the Mediterranean Sea.

The gigantean Deinotherium (Deinotherium giganteum), an animal that lived in Crete 8, 5 million years ago, is revived in the Museum. Its body is 4, 5 meters high and 6, 5 meters long.

The “Live Museum” is an area with special terrariums and aquariums where the visitors can observe the living vipers, frogs and other small animals from the desert and the wet ecosystems of the Mediterranean Sea.

The “Seismic Table” is an earthquake simulator that represents a classroom. The visitors are seated in desks and learn about the earthquake phenomenon and the seismicity of the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

The “Discovery Center” is an area of 250 square meters, especially designed for children. It is a miniature of different ecosystems of the Mediterranean Sea, with a number of interactive games, where children learn about nature and its organisms through all their senses.

There are about 8.200 samples of Fossil bones from Crete and other islands of the Aegean Sea in the Fossils’ part. There samples of hippos from Cyprus and Crete, giraffes, rhinoceroses, small elephants etc.

A modern educational seismographer is in the earthquakes and volcanoes room. The recordings are in real time and available online, on the IRIS website.

Opening Hours: 9.00-19.00

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