Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature Exhibit Review

Credit: The Natural History Museum

Last call for magic! The Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London will close its doors on January 3, 2022. Did you have a chance to visit?

The exhibit truly celebrates Newt Scamander’s passion for speaking up for misunderstood creatures and is an homage to naturalists and explorers in the non-magical world. 

As soon as we walk into the exhibition, the words of our beloved Magizoologist greet us:

“I offer this work as a mere introduction to the wealth of fantastic beasts that inhabit our world.”

This section spotlights the props used by Newt Scamander actor Eddie Redmayne in the Fantastic Beasts movies, such as Newt’s clothes, his wand, his suitcase, and the first edition of his book!

Mythical Creatures

Quotes from Newt’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them introduce each exhibition area, helping define the magical creatures we will learn about. The mythical creatures include dragons, merpeople, and sea serpents. Newt explains in his book that: 

“A glance through Muggle art and literature of the Middle Ages reveals that many of the creatures they now believe to be imaginary were then known to be real.”

Thanks to their research through old encyclopedias, sketchbooks, and scrapbooks, the curators of Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature help us understand how ancient people believed in the existence of mythical creatures by drawing parallels with real animals. 

For example, you’ll learn that the “unicorn horns” that were traded across Europe for centuries were narwhal tusks. These small arctic whales have a large, twisting front tooth protruding from their heads that closely resemble the horns of unicorns. 

We also find out that sea monsters, such as the Kraken, may have been inspired by real animals. Visitors can find possible answers to the “existence” of these creatures in some popular sailors' superstitions.

You can also marvel at Olivia Lomenech Gill’s artworks from the illustrated edition of Fantastic Beasts! The artist drew inspiration from museum collections, including the Natural History Museum, for her work. The lizards she examined during her visits were used as a reference for the dragons she drew.

Credit: The Natural History Museum

Credit: The Natural History Museum

​Wizarding World Creatures

​While the first part of the display examines creatures borrowed from myths and folklore, the second part focuses on magical creatures unique to the wizarding world. 

Bowtruckles, Erumpents, and Mooncalves are some of the magical animals you will encounter during your visit. They’re paired with real creatures who possess similarly exceptional abilities. 

For example, the cuttlefish’s power of camouflage and the hyperiid amphipod’s (a type of marine crustacean) transparent body reminds us of the Demiguise’s ability to make themselves invisible. 

Marine iguanas, who can expand and shrink at will, make us think of Occamies. The teapot used to catch an Occamy who escaped from Newt’s suitcase in the film is even on display!

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​​Endangered Species

The last part of the exhibition puts endangered species at the forefront. 

Much like how Newt rescued the last breeding pair of Graphorns, preventing the species’ extinction, real conservationists around the globe are also fighting to protect species in danger of extinction. 

One animal featured is the vaquita, the world's smallest porpoise. These marine mammals often fall victim to the fishing industry as bycatch. A caption in the exhibition says that in 2019, the estimated number of vaquitas was less than 20.

Like the Erumpents and their valuable horns or the Occamies whose nests are ransacked for their silver eggs, many non-magical creatures are threatened by trade, such as elephants and pangolins. 

Pangolins have long been hunted down for their scales and meat. According to a caption in this part of the exhibition, scientists estimate that “over a million pangolins have been killed in recent decades.”

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Credit: The Natural History Museum

Sensitivity Warning

A large part of the exhibition features taxidermy and preserved animals, which might not suit everybody. 

In the companion book to the exhibition, Louis Buckley, Lead Curator, writes that the animal specimens are more than a century old. He claims:

While museum scientists still collect animals from the wild today, they do so in very small numbers and with careful consideration for endangered and protected species. 
None of this contemporary collecting is done solely for display. Its aim is to gather vital information that can help us better understand - and protect - the natural world.

​However, The Protego Foundation maintains that collecting animals from the wild is by no means the only way to gather data on wild animals. As mentioned in the exhibit, “local and international conservation organizations leave camera traps in the forest to observe [animals like] Okapis without disturbing them.” 

Another method employed to discover the presence of species is to collect DNA samples from the surrounding area. Grasses, trees, stones, and even mud or snow tracks harbor skin cells and hair that animals shed.

On the way out, a sign reminds visitors that “our world is losing green spaces, animals, and plants due to deforestation, exploitation, urbanization, and global warming.” 

Visitors are invited to make conscious choices to help the planet. 

The curators recommend the following steps:

• Eat locally grown food
• Buy products with less packaging
• Reduce waste
• Protect and enjoy green spaces
• Reduce energy use
• Use public transport when you can
• Support scientific research

Even though it’s not listed, the single most effective way to help the environment is to stop eating animals! ​

Credit: The Natural History Museum

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Interactivity at the Exhibit

When you look around the exhibit, you’ll see that there are many ways you can engage with the displays.

Many film props (on loan from the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London) guide us along the exhibition. Why not quiz yourself on which movie they appeared in as you go?

Be aware of your surroundings and have a look at the ceiling! You’ll see shadows of creatures floating about. Can you recognize who they belong to?

You can even spray musk to attract an Erumpent!

At the end of the exhibit, visitors can create their own poster to show their support for magical and non-magical creatures in need of protection, such as Graphorns and vaquitas. 

If you have made your own, be sure to share it on Instagram with us!

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The Shop

To remember the experience, visitors can purchase a large variety of merchandise - from books, to stationery, to soft toys. There is also a range of items that feature a gorgeous MinaLima print that was created exclusively for the exhibition! 

Items in the shop that were made without animal products include Newt’s scarf, which is made from acrylic instead of wool, and socks made from polyester and elastane. Newt would surely approve!

Eating at The Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum includes four cafés and restaurants, three of which are currently open. You will find a good selection of vegan options, including:
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• Pasta bowl with red pepper tapenade, kalamata olives, baby spinach, and sun-dried tomato
• Spinach salad with broccoli, bean sprouts, cucumber, and a sesame soy dressing
• Green salad with radishes
• Bang Bang grilled aubergine baguette
• Middle Eastern mezze wrap
• Climavore Ocean greens wrap
• Climavore grains salad
• Plant power box
• Crisps / chips (in various flavors)
• Raspberry, mango & lime drizzle cake
• Banana bread loaf
• Fruit pot

Visitors can order teas and coffees with soy or oat milk.

Accessibility

All videos shown in the exhibition are subtitled. 

Visitors can download a large-print exhibition guide containing all captions featured next to the images and various items displayed. 

The museum’s map indicates lifts and wheelchair-accessible toilets. 

For more info about accessibility, visit the museum’s website.

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Visiting Details

The Photographic Exhibition is open Monday through Sunday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm until January 3rd, 2022. The exhibition is closed on  December 24th, 25th, and 26th, 2021. 
 
Tickets cost £22 for adults and £13.25 for children and teens between the ages of 4 to 16. Family, senior, and student tickets are available.

Can’t make it to the exhibition? 

Have a look at the online gallery the museum has put together. 

You can even take a virtual stroll!

Alternatively, you can buy the exhibition book through their online shop. 

And if you haven’t already, listen to Season 1, Episode 12 of ProtegoCast, where the hosts talk to Kate Whittington and Anna Darron, Interpretation Developers at the Natural History Museum who helped develop the exhibition.

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​Written by  Assya Ahouandjinou

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