MUSEUM’S HISTORY AND COLLECTIONS
The vast collection of the Municipal Museum of Natural History in Comiso has been built up over time. Some fossil and zoological finds were retrieved during missions carried out by the museum staff, or donated by various donor companies or private collectors. Over the past 30 years, museum researchers have been conducting many investigations and studies, resulting into hundreds of scientific publications in international journals, and discovering 15 new species of fossils and present-day animals.
In addition to these exhibits, there are also 6,000 books on geo-palaeontology, zoology and archaeology, belonging to the ‘Italo Di Geronimo’, ‘Ferdinando Ciani’, ‘Salvatore Carfì’, ‘Nunzia Oliva’, and ‘Giovanni Mannino’ Book Collections.
PALAEONTOLOGY SECTION
The Palaeontology Section is dedicated to the origin of life and animal evolution.
The thousands of exhibits, from Sicily as well as from different continents, tell a story that began billions of years ago, when the first organisms appeared on planet Earth.
From the first living beings to the armoured fish of the Palaeozoic, from ammonites to dinosaurs, up to the mammals of the Quaternary period – including man -, the rooms of the Comiso Museum of Natural History offer a rich itinerary of extraordinarily beautiful fossils and particularly spectacular reconstructions that will enchant nature lovers of all ages.
FOSSILS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Are you ready to come face to face with an enormous Palaeozoic armoured fish from Morocco? Or to compare your height with that of a Cretaceous Anisoceras ammonite?
In the halls of the Comiso Museum, you can admire the intact skeleton of a Psittacosaurus mongolensis – a small herbivorous dinosaur found in Mongolia – and, hanging from the ceiling, the skeleton of a Brazilian pterosaur with a four-metre wingspan.
You will find out about the fascinating and curious evolutionary path of animals such as whales, horses, and elephants, whose ancestors looked very different from them. Following the exhibits on display along the museum itinerary, you will retrace the stages in human evolution.
FOSSILS FROM SICILY
Did you know that the oldest ancestor of today’s crabs was found in Sicily by the scholars of the Museum of Natural History in Comiso? And that the warm climate of the Mesozoic era, when the whole of Sicily was underwater, led to the development of real tropical coral reefs in the Tethys Sea?
In the halls of the museum’s palaeontology section, finds of fossil species are on display. Over millions of years, these species had populated the area of present-day Sicily, evolving into unique forms. For example, the pygmy elephant Palaeloxodon falconeri is the smallest elephant ever existed on earth. Its oldest specimens dating back some 600,000 years were found in the Comiso area.
ZOOLOGY SECTION
The zoology collection follows a systematic and educational approach that will fascinate visitors, help scholars deepen their knowledge of systematic zoology, and serve as a teaching aid for schools. It features thousands of naturalised Sicilian, European, as well as exotic specimens from all continents.
In the rooms of this section you will be able to admire the beautiful colours of the shells of Mediterranean and tropical molluscs, get to know the bizarre creatures that inhabit the great marine depths, or the harmonious majesty of cetaceans, displayed in specially designed rooms with an evocative and engaging atmosphere.
INVERTEBRATES
The Natural History Museum in Comiso has a malacological collection comprising, as of today, some 14,000 catalogued specimens, often belonging to species that are increasingly rare in nature, because of environment degradation and biodiversity destruction.
However, the wonderful shells of this rich malacology collection – which includes a specimen of the giant clam (Tridacna gigas), the largest bivalve in the world – are not the only stars of the museum: there are also Mediterranean and tropical corals, echinoderms, abyssal squids and crustaceans, including a 275 cm large specimen of giant Japanese spider crab.
VERTEBRATES
Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals populate the museum’s halls, offering visitors of all ages the opportunity to observe species from the most diverse geographical areas.
Among the fish in the ichthyological collection, you can see several species of sharks, the giant Moonfish, and one of the world’s very few naturalised specimens of the Madagascar Coelacanth – a fish long thought to be extinct – and the most likely ancestor of terrestrial vertebrates.
Specimens of the Great Leatherback Sea Turtle, the Giant Aldabra Turtle, Javan Flying Dragon, as well as snakes from the herpetological collection populate the reptile showcases. The naturalised bird specimens on display account for only a small part of the museum’s holdings, which comprise some 1,600 bird specimens, ranging from tiny hummingbirds, to ostriches, up to the extinct giant Madagascar Elephant Bird.
THE CETACEAN HALL
Since its establishment, the Comiso Natural History Museum has stood out for its classification and rescue work with stranded cetaceans. Indeed, the Museum staff has taken active part in Cites Certification Service programmes, and has musealised new finds, thus preventing the loss of many rare species.
The cetacean collection consists of 14 species – over 50 specimens in total – from the Sicilian and Calabrian coasts. The cetacean collection is ranked 7 nationally, and is the most important one in southern Italy.
Some of the most significant specimens are on display in the cetacean room, in an evocative setting that recalls the depths of the sea, letting visitors dive in with these majestic creatures.