Gallery of Skeletons

La “Gallery of Skeletons” offers a fascinating educational experience hosted in the temporary exhibition gallery of the Kosmos Museum of theUniversity of Pavia, bringing together extraordinary specimens belonging to the five classes of the Vertebrates: Mammals, Birds, Pisces, Reptiles e Amphibians. Through a selection of the most significant specimens drawn from the extensive collections, the exhibition invites the public to examine the various skeletal structures in detail and compare them, highlighting the close relationship between anatomical forms and the movement and the skills of adaptation to the environment.

Visually dominating the space from above is the skeleton of the fin whale, which has long been a symbol of the museum and is now part of the wider context of the collection of Comparative anatomy. Of particular value is the section dedicated to Records, which is one of the most extensive collections in Italy. The historical origins of this heritage date back to 1875, when the ancient Natural History Museum founded by Lazzaro Spallanzani was divided up, and the section of Comparative anatomy was entrusted to the teacher Leopoldo Maggi, marking the start of an educational programme enriched by specimens prepared directly in the university’s laboratories. The tour is complemented by QR codes which offer a guided and in-depth exploration of each artefact.