Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, Singapore

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Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, Singapore Overview

Trace the history of life on earth at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, a museum of natural history housed at the Kent Ridge Park campus of the prestigious National University of Singapore. This comprehensive museum possesses a catalogue of over 560,000 specimens, including the Raffles Natural History Collection.

With 2,000 specimens on public exhibition, one can't help but marvel at the rich biodiversity, both past and present, as they explore this seven-storeyed structure. Interactive displays throughout Lee Kong museum help visitors gain a deeper understanding of the complex ecosystems that exist throughout the world, particularly those of the region of Southeast Asia. The phylogenetic garden at the museum displays the evolutionary history of the plant life of the region, showcasing the vivid diversity of the plant kingdom. The beautiful facade of Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum is enveloped by landscaped areas, recreating the natural habitats of the native plants.

Highlights of Lee Kong Chian History Museum

Spread over 8,500 square metres in a seven-storeyed green building, the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum is home to some of the most fascinating specimen showcasing the biodiversity of Southeast Asia as it has been present in the region over the millennia.

Dinosaurs: The museum's trio of diplodocid sauropod fossils are sure to capture attention, being one of the largest and heaviest creatures to walk the land in the history of the earth. These fossils are more than 80% complete, with two of the exhibits presenting with skulls, making them one of the rarest dinosaur discoveries on the planet.
Jubi Lee Whale Exhibit: The first sperm whale to ever be found in Singapore washed up on its shores in 2015, and has been a part of the museum's Mammal zone gallery ever since, measuring about 10.6 m.
Remnants of the Changi Tree: The tree that gave Changi its name, chengal pasir, was thought to be extinct until 2002 when a lone specimen was found. However, this tree was later illegally cut down, with its remnants now finding its place at this museum.
Neptune's Cup Sponge: Over-harvested due to its scientific and commercial value, the Neptune's Cup Sponge was thought to be globally extinct for more than a century until it 2011, when it was rediscovered at Singapore's southern shores, finding a special place at this museum.
Leatherback Turtle: The only known sighting of the elusive Leatherback Turtle on Singapore shores more than a century ago is now one of the prime treasures of this museum, housed in the Heritage Gallery.
Sunda Pangolin: Hunted to the point of global endangerment due to the appeal of its meat and scales, the Sunda Pangolin exhibit at the museum is probably one of the easiest sightings of this adorable creature in the world.

Galleries

There are two major galleries at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, further divided into thematic zones in order to fully explore the history of the rich biodiversity spread across the region of Southeast Asia.

Biodiversity Gallery: The diversity of life on the Earth can be seen at this gallery, with special attention given to the flora and fauna found in Southeast Asia. The wide variety of the different organisms are spread across multiple themed zones in this gallery, represented by branches of the Tree of Life.

Heritage Gallery: Witness the history of the collections of the museum, which were originally a part of the Raffles Museum set up during colonial rule. The original specimens inherited from the Raffles collection can now be found around this gallery.

Collections

There are two major collections at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, within which the extensive accumulation of the exhibits of this museum have been segregated.

The NUS Herbarium (SINU): All the plant exhibits of the museum, including the 30,000 flowering plants, 1,660 ferns, 700 moss species, 100 liverworts and 1,235 marine algae fall under this collection. The main focus here is the diverse flora of Singapore and Malaysia, specifically those falling under the vascular and bryophyte categories.

The Zoological Reference Collections (ZRC): Inherited from the former Raffles Museum, this collection contains over 10,000 different species of members of the Animal Kingdom, showcasing the rich biodiversity of Southeast Asian wildlife. This collection is renowned amongst the global zoological community, responsible for a lot of research and publications.

Gallery Tour

The Museum offers an extensive tour of the gallery that are led by knowledgeable and enthusiastic volunteers who act as guides.
Capacity- Each tour admits 12 individuals apart from the volunteer guide
Timings- English guided tours are offered at 1:00 PM every Thursday & Friday and twice at 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM on weekends (Saturdays & Sundays)
How To Book- Registration for the tour is accepted at the museum ticketing counter on a first-come, first-served basis only. There is no provision for advance booking for the guided tour, however.

Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum Tickets

Cost
Permanent Residents:
Adult: SGD 16, Child (3 to 12 years old): SGD 9, Senior citizens and disabled person: SGD 9
Non-Residents:
Adult: SGD 21, Child (3 to 12 years old): SGD 13, Child (below 3 years): Free, Senior citizens and disabled person: SGD 13,

How To Book
Payment at the counter can be made only via NETS or Credit card.
Advance booking of tickets can be done by visiting the SISTIC website or via the SISTIC Hotline (+65 63485555).

E-tickets
Visitors can exercise the option of buying etickets and then downloading the barcode on the tickets after it is sent to the recipients by email or their mobile devices. The barcode needs to be shown at the gate for entering the museum.

Terms and Conditions

Group visits are permitted but buying more than 41 tickets together requires the concerned visitor to correspond with [email protected] for obtaining additional information.
Citizens and permanent residents of Singapore need to carry their identification cards
Students have to show their student identity proof at the entrance
The museum staff and students are eligible for free entry Tuesday through Sunday and on all public holidays.

Tips

Dining Options

The Museum shop sells a variety of snacks and beverages
People looking for a more substantial meal are free to visit the eateries located near the museum. The NUS UTown houses a number of cafes as well as an extensive food court while Yusof Ishak House sells sandwiches and has a food court as well.

Museum App
The museum has a web app available for the visitors who are interested to learn more about the exhibits. Clicking on the link allows them to gain more information.

Dos And Donts

Visitors are not permitted to carry food or drink into the museum
Museum tickets can be booked a month prior to the visit
Tourists buying etickets need to download the Acrobat Reader for opening the PDF file
Selfie sticks and flash photography is not allowed within the gallery
The authorities will not replace any lost tickets
The visitors are required to have their tickets with them and show them at both the entry and exit points.

How to Reach Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum

Bus: Visitors can take the SBS Transit No. 15 directly to the gate of the museum. NUS Shuttle Buses, Nos A2, D1, D2, BTC also go to the museum although the service is reduced on Sundays and public holidays. It is also possible to take the SBS Transit Nos 96, 151, 151E up to the NUS Raffles Hall. The museum can be reached by walking for 4 minutes from here.

MRT: Visitors who travel by train make use of Kent Ridge MRT or Clementi MRT and board NUS Bus No D2 and Bus 96 at the Clementi Bus Terminal respectively.

Car: Tourists who choose to drive or hire cars can take the AYE Exit 9 to reach Clementi Road and then turn left to find Kent Ridge Crescent. Parking place is available at LKCNHM (NUS Car Park 3A) as well as at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (NUS Car Park 3). A parking fee of SGD 0.0214 is charged per minute until exit. The fee is waived on Sundays and public holidays.