Mammals

Peruse the historic display cases in this room – The mammal hall is a museum inside the museum.

Presented as a classic display collection, you can find representatives from all continents and specimens from all three major mammalian groups (monotremes, marsupials, and placentals), including several extinct species.

Many of the skins shown here came from animals that once lived in the Frankfurt Zoo or other zoological gardens. Others, like the gorilla family, were collected as the result of targeted hunting expeditions – a method quite common until the early 20^th century that is fortunately no longer permitted today, thanks to international species protection acts. Over time, taxidermy placed an increasing emphasis on the lifelike presentation of the specimens. Particularly successful examples of this include the dermoplastic mounts of the lions, the jaguar, and the orangutan. Extinct animals such as the thylacine (Tasmanian tiger) and the quagga, in particular, require careful restoration from time to time, since they represent the last remaining documentation of these animals, which can no longer be replaced.