Audio GuideGalerie de Paléontologie et d’Anatomie comparée

Welcome to the Galerie de Paléontologie et d’Anatomie comparée, a gem of natural history nestled within the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, near Gare d’Austerlitz. Part of the French National Museum of Natural History and an officially recognised Musée de France, this historic building was constructed between eighteen ninety-three and eighteen ninety-eight by the distinguished architect Ferdinand Dutert. Spanning approximately two thousand five hundred square metres, the gallery is characterised by its graceful stone and metal design, large windows, and detailed decorative art.

Barry Fong

Inside, visitors embark on a journey through natural history across two primary levels. The ground floor captivates with its extensive collection of comparative anatomy, showcasing nearly one thousand skeletons. Meanwhile, the first floor boasts an extraordinary palaeontology exhibition. Notable highlights include a cast of a Tyrannosaurus rex skull, an authentic woolly mammoth skeleton preserved outside its home territory, and a plaster cast of Diplodocus carnegii, which helped ignite early interest in dinosaurs in France. The gallery also once featured anthropological displays on its top floor until they were relocated in nineteen thirty-seven.

Stefanie Hoppe

The building's rich façade and interior are adorned with exquisite sculptures and decorative friezes. A well-known piece by André-Joseph Allar embellishes the exterior, while a sculpture by Emmanuel Frémiet depicts a scene of a Malay hunter with an orangutan, reflecting the era’s perspective on the relationship between humans and the natural world.

Youness Ait El Cadi

Founded upon the early collections organised by Georges Cuvier in the early nineteenth century, this gallery remains a vital cultural and educational destination. It encourages visitors to explore the dynamic synergy between science and art while celebrating the evolution of life on Earth.