An absolute honour to be accessioning the herbarium of the late Don Cotton into the national collection DBNherbarium. A renowned naturalist, scientist & educator, as well as BSBI: Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland vice county recorder for Sligo, Don made an immeasurable contribution to Irish ecology.

DBNherbarium BSBI: Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland Environmental Science, ATU Sligo BSBI Ireland NBG Ireland Irish Whale and Dolphin Group Biodiversity Ireland ATU Sligo National Museum of Ireland Heritage Ireland You can say that again, Don Cotton's collections are as varied as his interests. Staff in the dead zoo are still getting to grips with the zoological material!

DBNherbarium BSBI: Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland Environmental Science, ATU Sligo BSBI Ireland NBG Ireland Irish Whale and Dolphin Group Biodiversity Ireland ATU Sligo National Museum of Ireland Heritage Ireland Not to mention the vast insect collections (small portion pictured here - tape measure is 1 m for scale!) Most specimen records are unpublished, meaning Don's contribution to the knowledge of Ireland's natural history will continue well into the future.

During our Summer School we visited the Natural History Museum - the Dead Zoo Dublin's Dead Zoo. Students were mesmerised by everything they saw...I imagine thee photos from this visit will feature heavily in the photography competition! #Summerschool2023 #teamddletb

Not all discoveries made during the Decant of Dublin's Dead Zoo were nice. Finding rubbish in an elephant skull is one such example. Thanks to RTÉ News we can show this disgusting discovery being made. youtube.com/watch?v=hgwnvQ… #deadzoodiary #naturalhistory #behindthescenes

Any ideas what this mystery object might be? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. N.B. lots more photos on the blog: paoloviscardi.com/2023/07/07/fri…

As the embargo has been broken and it's #FossilFriday, here are photos of one of the UK's rarest #fossils, and the oldest #calculus (#StomachStone, #Enterolith) known in the fossil record! The study has just been published here: sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

Saddened to report the confirmation that two white-tailed eagles, found dead in Co.Antrim in May, were both poisoned. nirsg.com/eagles-found-d…

I didn't take any flights for almost 4 years, ending a couple of weeks ago. Here's what I learned. Also, ask me anything! 🧵

Look what I just got in the mail! All the Mammals of the World by Lynx Nature Books is awesome! I highly recommend it alongside All the Birds of the World! Still hoping that they decide to do All the Reptiles or Amphibians of the World and hire me as one of the illustrators 😅

During the Decant of the Dead Zoo we discovered an interesting type of dust - Lac dust. It is secreted by lac bugs Kerria lacca (Kerr, 1782) and refined into shellac. This can be dissolved in alcohol and used as a polish.💅 #DeadZooDiary #naturalhistory #behindthescenes

Did you figure out last week's mystery object? Is it the fossil skull of: A) the Neanderbunny B) a gigantic dormouse, or C) Scrat from Ice Age (or a close relative)? What do YOU think? #museums #nature #FossilFriday paoloviscardi.com/2023/07/14/fri…

Just two days until we welcome Paolo Viscardi and director Paul Duane to talk all things natural history, documentary making and whales! Get your tickets here: ow.ly/pPwc50P2AYZ (Psst: Not yet a Friend of the Chester Beatty? Grab a Taster ticket!)

During the Decant of the Dead Zoo we discovered specimens that had loads of information associated with them. We also discovered specimens that didn't... #unnamed #Scorpions #DeadZooDiary #naturalhistory #BehindTheScenes National Museum of Ireland

barbie’s wheelchair vs my actual wheelchair: a critical comparison aka the best twitter thread i will ever post strap in #Barbie

This week I have an insect for you to have a go at identifying. Do you recognise this mystery critter? paoloviscardi.com/2023/07/21/fri…

Each tide now brings with it so much death. 40+ new dead Guillemot today and 2 Terns, adding to the bodies of those brought in on other tides. Sorry to share such sadness but we really need to be aware of what’s happening to our natural world.

The answer to last week's mystery moth - it's easier when you can see the underwing! paoloviscardi.com/2023/07/28/fri…