The newly constructed Darwin Centre was built to house the museum’s wet collection; that is, animal specimens preserved in “spirit” (a fragrant and highly flammable blend of 95% ethanol and 5% methanol).

New arrivals join the collection all the time, where they mingle with more historic guests, including lizards collected by Charles Darwin , sea bass collected by Captain Cook in Australia on his Endeavour voyage, and specimens dating back to the 16th century. The largest specimens (such as sharks) don’t reside in jars; they’re in enormous metal tanks housed in the building’s basement.