Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM)

Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM)
2 Conservatory Drive

http://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/


Opening Hours:
Tue - Sun 10am - 7pm, Closed Mon
Visitation By Scheduled Sessions Only

Admission Fees (In SGD $):
Adult: $16
Senior (60 Years Old & Above): $13
Child (3 - 12 Years Old): $13

Estimated Visiting Duration:
1 - 3 Hours

List Of Star Attractions (Must See):
Plants Section
Molluscs Section
Arthropods Section
Dinosaur Bones Section
Prince, Apollonia, & Twinky Diplodocid Sauropod Skeletons

List Of Main Attractions (Good To See):
Reptiles Section
Fish Section
Birds Section
Mammals Section
Landscape Walk & Cabinet Of Curiosities
Towards Animals
Water To Land
Tropical Rainforest
Marine Cycles

List Of Other Attractions (For A Complete Experience):
Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum Exterior & Surroundings
Life Section
Fungi Section
Singapore Today
Mangrove, Swamps And Dryland Forest Section
Beach To Land Forest
Phylogenetic Garden


Small But Family Friendly Museum Of Biodiversity


(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Visited: May-2015


.....


While the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) opened its doors to the public in April 2015, making it the 1st permanent natural history and Southeast Asian biodiversity exhibition in Singapore, its history actually dates back to 1878 and the establishment of the Raffles Museum. Inheriting the vast Zoological Reference Collection (ZRC) from their predecessor(s), which comprises over 566,000 catalogued items and over 1 million specimens, the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) has on display about 2,000 items from this collection at any time. The exhibition is spread across 15 zones, arranged in sections that represent the major branches of the Tree of Life, tracing the history of life on Earth.

The 1st level of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) is the Biodiversity Gallery, which showcases the majority of exhibits, a large portion of them being mounted or taxidermied animal / insect specimens. Some of these can be a little unsettling. The journey begins through the Life Section, which showcases the various branches of the Tree of Life. This leads into the Plants Section and Fungi Section, which has rather interesting exhibits such as the 10 common trees in Singapore with accompanying cross sections, and herbarium sheets. The Changi area of Singapore is thought to be named after the Changi Tree (now extinct), whose remains are displayed here. The Molluscs Section features a colourful variety of mounted shells, very pretty!

I liked the Arthropods Section of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM), in particular, their collection of crabs, presented in rather memorable ways! Of the 4 multimedia and interactive sections; which include Towards Animals, Water To Land, Tropical Rainforest, and Marine Cycles; the last 2 exhibits stood out the most for me, with their videos on marine life and cute flying mammals. Highlights of the Fish Section include the rare coelacanth and mobula rays, while the Birds Section has fascinating birds-of-prey and frigate birds. At the Mammals Section, look out for the side by side comparision between skeletons of an ape and a man, as well as the mounted specimen of the rare golden babirusa.

The 2nd level of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) is the Heritage Gallery, which traces the history of the museum's collection in the Landscape Walk & Cabinet Of Curiosities. Be sure to look out for the largest leatherback sea turtle ever seen in Singapore, the longest black marlin, and the Asian brown flycatcher. The Singapore Today section showcases the geology of Singapore, as well as the ongoing conservation work being done. The main highlight of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) however, has to be the Dinosaur Bones Section, with its display of near complete skeletons of dinosaurs, including the star attraction of a trio of diplodocid sauropod skeletons affectionately named Prince, Apollonia, & Twinky, who are believed to be from the same herd!

If you're planning a visit, do note that admission fees are SGD $21 for adults, and tickets must be purchased online through SISTIC before arrival at Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM), as tickets are not sold on-site. Also, admission timing is by scheduled sessions, of 1 and a half hours each, so you have to pick a time slot when purchasing tickets. This is to prevent crowding within the museum, as well as to maximise their visitor's enjoyment. However, once you've entered Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM), you've free to remain inside as long as you want, but do allocate between 1 - 3 hours of viewing time. I recommend showing up about 15 minutes before your allocated time however, as staff will typically let you in early, but you may be refused entry if you're too late.


.....

.....







.....