La Specola

La specola was founded by Grand Duke Peter Leopold of Lorraine. It was opened in 1775 and it the oldest science museum in Europe. It holds the world's largest collection of was anatomical models which were made from 1770 to 1850. There are 3,500,000 wax models of which 5,000 animals are displayed to the public. La Specola is a section of the Museo di Storia Naturale (Museum of Natural History). In this museum, you can see a wide range of extinct animals in addition to species threatened with extinction. In the mammal category, there are big cats, white rhino, the African wild ass, to name a few. There are also a collection of extinct birds in the museum. You can see a rare specimens such as alkaline rears, the pigeons, the Carolina parakeet, a pair of Uja and more.