From diamonds to Dodos - new additions to the gallery
Museum staff were adding new objects to the World Bays gallery today.
Dodo bones
While moving skeletal material betweens stores recently, staff decided to get a box of twelve dodo bones more accurately identified.
Bolton Museum’s David Craven sent images of the twelve to world-renowned dodo expert Dr Julian Hume at the Natural History Museum, London. Dr Hume identified all the bones, including rarer elements from the wing and shoulder (legs are by far the most commonly found bits of dodos). Of the twelve, one was not a dodo at all, it was actually from a species of giant tortoise!
Dodo’s were natives of Mauritius, and the eleven bones have gone on display in the Africa Bay.
The bones were given to Bolton Museum by Salford Museum in 1991. Having been excavated in 1866, this is the first time an expert has looked at them.
"Diamonds" are... etc. etc.
In addition, some of the world’s most famous diamonds are going on display in the Asia Bay.
In the 17th Century, India was the world’s premiere source of diamonds, and many famous stones such as the Regent, the Shah, the Hope and the Koh-i-Noor were discovered there.
Unfortunately, the specimens on display in Bolton are actually replicas donated by De Beers in 1967.
If you are visiting the museum over Christmas and the New Year, make sure you check out these new additions.
