The McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture is a museum located on the campus of the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

. Built in 1963, exhibits focus on

natural history Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

decorative arts ] The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose aim is the design and manufacture of objects that are both beautiful and functional. This includes most of the objects for the interiors of buildings, as well as interior design, but typically excl ...

, and

local history Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context, often concentrating on a relatively small local community. It incorporates cultural history, cultural and social history, social aspects of history. Local history is not mer ...

. Long-term exhibits include: * The Decorative Experience — A collection of art from various times and cultures from around the world. * Geology and Fossil History of East Tennessee — A collection of Tennessee

fossils A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

representing a comprehensive overview of geological history. Outside of the main building, the museum's most prominent and popular exhibit is a replica of an ''

Edmontosaurus annectens ''Edmontosaurus annectens'' (meaning "connected lizard from Edmonton"), often colloquially and historically known as ''Anatosaurus'' (meaning "duck lizard"), is a species of flat-headed Saurolophinae, saurolophine hadrosaurid dinosaur from the la ...

,'' nicknamed "Monty" by the students at the University of Tennessee. * Human Origins: Searching for Our Fossil Ancestors — A concise overview of the current scientific understanding regarding

human evolution ''Homo sapiens'' is a distinct species of the hominid family of primates, which also includes all the great apes. Over their evolutionary history, humans gradually developed traits such as Human skeletal changes due to bipedalism, bipedalism, de ...

. * Tennessee Freshwater Mussels — A collection displaying the incredible diversity of

freshwater pearl mussel The freshwater pearl mussel (''Margaritifera margaritifera'') is an endangered species of freshwater mussel, an Aquatic animal, aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Margaritiferidae. Although the name "freshwater pearl mussel" is often used fo ...

s in Tennessee. In addition, the McClung Museum houses special exhibitions that temporarily showcase art or artifacts from other collections or institutions. The McClung Museum is accredited by the

American Alliance of Museums The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), formerly the American Association of Museums, is a non-profit association whose goal is to bring museums together. Founded in 1906, the organization advocates for museums and provides "museum professionals w ...

and is an affiliate of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

References

External links

McClung Museum Homepage
Natural history museums in Tennessee University museums in Tennessee Archaeological museums in Tennessee Museums in Knoxville, Tennessee University of Tennessee Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums Smithsonian Institution affiliates University of Tennessee campus Paleontology in Tennessee {{Tennessee-museum-stub

See also

References

External links