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.