Zoological Museum
of Lviv National University named after Ivan Franko
Description:
The museum is one of the oldest Ukrainian museums. Its collection consists of numerous animal skeletons from the whole world.
Zoological museum is located in biological faculty department of LNU named after Ivan Franko and it occupies almost 500 m2. The museum's scientific collection numbers over 150 thousand of the displays, almost 10 thousand of them form the exposition which is built on the systematic principle and it displays fauna of all the continents and water areas.
The gallery-corridor presents the world fauna — from the invertebrates to reptilia class. Here such displays are represented as: sponges (porifera), hydroids, corals and clams. A collection of tropical cicadas and bugs of Austrian entomologist E.-F. Hermar and a collection of butterflies from Europe, Japan, Far East, Pamir, Caucasus and from Australia are very valuable.
In museum's fund there are over 500 kinds of fish preserved, special attention is paid to: armor pikes, electric eels, moon fish, pipe fish and sea horses, different kinds of sharks.
Museum has the osteological hall where a unique display is kept — the skeleton of Steller sea cow, in general there are only 27 of them in the world museums, 5 of the skeletons are in this museum.
Among the collection of vertebrate animals the hall with birds is the richest. It represents near 1010 kinds, general amount is 4 thousand. Unique displays inscribe collection of hummingbirds and chalcomitra senegalensis which was brought to Lviv in 1823 year from the imperial collection in Vienna.
Mammals class in the museum counts both rare species and those species which have already disappeared. Among rare mammals species there are: lemur Vari, diadem sifaka, wooley monkey; among the cetaceous species there is cachalot (skeleton); among predatory mammals there is Malayan bear; among tropical animals collectio there are koala, anteaters, African elefant (baby), black rhino (bust).
Those displays which were brought from the ХІ Antarctic expedition by docent I. V. Dyky are unique from the scientific point of view. Among them there are skins and birds and mammals osteological material from Argentine islands and Antarctic peninsula.
Working hours:
From 10:00 to 16:00, Wednesday — cleaning day, Saturday and Sunday — days off.
Rates:
Donation.
Excursion rates:
Free of charge.
Excursions are held for groups not less than 10 persons.
Excursions must be ordered 3 days before.