The Cole Museum of Zoology is owned and managed by the University of Reading. 

It was established by Professor Francis Cole in 1906 when the University was known as University College Reading. The Cole Museum of Zoology represents a snapshot of animal diversity in the early 20th century and has always been used to teach zoology and comparative anatomy. The Museum is home to thousands of specimens of great zoological significance, including taxidermy, skeletons, histological preparations, fluid-preserved dissections, fossil material, casts, and some superb models of developmental stages and extinct animals.

The museum was closed prior to the Covid-19 crisis because it is relocating to the new Health and Life Sciences Building. It will reopen at some point in 2021. Please keep an eye on our Twitter feed and website for information.