Young Zoologists Club

Welcome to the Young Zoologists Club webpage.

The Young Zoologists Club is run by the University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge for 6 – 13 year olds interested in animals.

Membership is free. Members will receive a welcome pack on joining, a newsletter 4 times a year, and priority booking for special events.

To join, please email the child’s name, name of parent/guardian, postal address and date of birth to  umzc   zoo cam ac uk.

As well as newsletters, workshops and events, you can explore more of the animal kingdom right here on this webpage, with our ‘Animal of the Month’, animal profiles and zoology puzzles and activities.

If you are over 13 but would like to discover more about the amazing world of animals and the science of zoology, the University Museum of Zoology is launching the new UMZC Zoology Club for 13-18 year olds.

Animal of the Month

Malayan Flying Lemur
Galeopterus variegatus

Malayan Flying Lemur, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge

You can find this peculiar-looking creature in the room with the primates in the lower gallery of the museum. The flying lemur – not a lemur and it doesn’t properly fly. What a confusing name! Flying lemurs, also known as Colugos, are closely related to primates (the group of mammals that includes lemurs, monkeys, apes and us). They can glide through the air using large flaps of skin stretched between their arms and legs. However, we do not class this as true flight – the only mammals that can truly fly, having wings that can flap and produce lift, are bats.

The gliding membrane of flying lemurs is very large. It stretches all the way from the fingers to toes, and also between the legs and the tail. Add to this the webbed hands and feet with skin stretched between the fingers and toes, the sight of a flying lemur in mid glide is quite extraordinary: a huge sheet of skin with a small head and body down the centre. Their gliding ability is extraordinary too – travelling distances of up to 70m between trees in their rainforest home. They may not be true flyers, but they are great gliders.

This species of flying lemur lives in the tropical rainforests of South East Asia, including the Malay peninsula. Here they feed on leaves, flowers, shoots and sap. These animals are nocturnal, so are awake and active at night. They live on their own except for when a mother is looking after her young. Another species of flying lemur, the Philippine Colugo (Cynocephalus volans) is found in the Southern Philippines.

Previous Animals of the Month

Animal Profiles

Download and find out more about the mighty Finback Whale

Puzzles and Activities

Rockpool colouring-in

Puzzles and activities about the amazing world of animals for you to download

Christmas with the Young Zoologists

A Christmas Coral – The Answers

Before Christmas you were asked to find the animals in the re-writing of the Dickens classic below. The answers can be found at the bottom.

coral, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge

Jacob Marley was dead. He had died 7 years ago on this very night, Christmas Eve. His partner Ebenezer Scrooge sat in the office counting his monkey. In the back room sat Bob Crachitt. He was totting up a column of numbers. He had always been a good adder. Into the office came two gentlemen.
“Cow do you do” they said. “could you spare some cats for the poor”.
“Whale” said Scrooge. “I don’t think there are any poor. You are just lion to me. And now I have to fly. It is past my bedtime”

Up in his room, Scrooge sat down. He was old and out of breath, really puffin. There was a clanking on the stairs and through the walrus came a figure.
“I’m the goat of Jacob Marlin. You will be visited by 3 more ghosts. Now go and get some sheep. You’ll wallaby fast asleep when the first one comes.”

At one o’clock, Scrooge was awoken by a bright light. It was the ghost of Christmas Past. Emu all about Scrooge. He took Scrooge to a dance. They were doing the foxtrot.
“There’s Ann” said Scrooge.
“Ann?” asked the ghost.
“Miss Teater” said Scrooge. “I was in love with Ann Teater”

The ghost took him back to his horse. There the next ghost was waiting. The ghost took him to Bob’s house.
“Why am I here?” asked Scrooge
“I’ve brought you here on porpoise” said the ghost.
“I’m not herring you properly” said Scrooge.
“There’s Tiny Tim, eating his roast moose. He’s not very well.”

The ghost left Scrooge in the street.Along the toad came a sinister figure. The ghost of Christmas yet to come.Scrooge trembled in his coots. The ghost pointed at grave stone. It was Scrooge’s.

Scrooge woke up in his own mouse. It had all been a bream.

There are 24 animals in the story: 1 Monkey; 2 Adder; 3 Cow; 4 Cats; 5 Whale; 6 Lion; 7 Fly; 8 Puffin; 9 Walrus; 10 Goat; 11 Marlin; 12 Sheep; 13 Wallaby; 14 Emu; 15 Fox; 16 Anteater; 17 Horse; 18 Porpoise; 19 Herring; 20 Moose; 21 Toad; 22 Coots; 23 Mouse; 24 Bream. How many did you find?

Christmas with the Young Zoologists Club

Alternative Twelve Days of Christmas, Young Zoologists Club, UMZC

Here’s the Twelve Days of Christmas rewritten by the Young Zoologists, as well as animal themed Christmas decorations to make at home. To celebrate the festive season we have put our Young Zoologists Club Christmas Decorations on the website for you to download, print and make. There are decorations inspired by the weird crushing ‘teeth’ of the wonderful Lungfish, spirals based on the fabulously festive Christmas Tree Worms, and a garland based on the shape of the neck bones of our mighty Megatherium, the Giant Ground Sloth:

Last updated: 1 May 2012