Island hopping on the Darwin Expedition

Naturalis displays the original Darwins finches and extinct elephant bird

From 13 February 2009 to 3 January 2010 visitors to Naturalis can go island hopping on our new Darwin Expedition. Being cut off from the rest of the natural world makes islands the pressure cookers of evolution. What does it mean to have no enemies or to be one of the first animals to colonise an island? The Darwin Expedition gets you thinking about extreme forms of natural life and introduces you to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

Some very unusual life forms have evolved on islands, such as dwarf elephants, giant owls and the dodo, all of which are now extinct, just like the elephant bird. They are different from, but related to animals on the mainland. The exhibition explains the ins and outs of the underlying evolutionary principles.

Charles Darwin's visit to the Galapagos Islands inspired him to formulate his theory of evolution. Now, the general public can see the original Darwin's finches that Darwin himself collected on the islands. These finches are normally kept behind lock and key in the collection tower.

Many Naturalis scientists are continuing to study evolution. In interactive movies, they explain how they go on expedition nowadays and what they are trying to find out. Visitors to the exhibition can go on a virtual voyage of discovery in the scientists' studies, where they will come across a whole range of surprises. Children can get acquainted with the theory of evolution by playing the specially designed evolution game. Will their bird survive on its island?