Please note that selected displays in the Mammal Zone are currently being cleared. The entire zone will be temporarily closed for renovations, starting late November, to welcome a fresh look in 2027!

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Exhibitions  //

Heritage Gallery

Heritage Gallery

Three visitors walking through the Heritage Gallery and looking at the displays.

Learn about the history of our natural history collection from the late 1800s and early 1900s when it was part of the former Raffles Library and Museum (now National Museum of Singapore). Marvel at some of the specimens that were displayed at the old Raffles Museum.

Highlights

Leatherback Sea Turtle

The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) in the Heritage Gallery is a prized possession of the Museum. Found dead near Siglap in 1883 by Malay villagers, it is the only known record of a leatherback sea turtle in Singapore, over a century later.

A leatherback turtle specimen mounted on the wall.
A leatherback sea turtle specimen mounted on the wall.

Close up of the leatherback turtle’s shell.
Close up of the leatherback sea turtle’s shell.

Sunda Pangolin

The Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) is a mammal with keratin scales covering its body, similar to human skin and hair. Globally endangered, they are hunted for their meat and scales, the latter of which is (baselessly) thought to have medicinal properties.

Close-up of a Sunda pangolin specimen.
Close-up of a Sunda pangolin specimen.