JOIN USWhen many colleges conduct their practical sessions with pictures and artificial models, students belonging to Department of Zoology and Botany of St Agnes College make their study interesting with a huge collection of stored specimens.
Both the departments have rare species of flora and fauna and exclusive museums to store them. One can find a huge collection of corals, shells, different types of fish, worms, insects, snakes, lizards stored in formalin solution.
A human foetus, a complete skeleton of human body, skeleton of leopard, crocodile skin, sloth fur, leopard skin, skin of a flying squirrel, an elephant foot, a horse skull, collection of bird nests are some among the many things one can find in the museum.
The species are stored according to their class and type and labels carrying the name and biological name makes it easy for students to identify the species.
Speaking to City Herald, St Agnes Department of Zoology HoD Professor Saramma Jayaraj reveals that the Natural Science Department was established in 1936 and the BSc Zoology degree is being offered since 1957.
The museum started with the department and the collections are adding up ever since, she says. “Most of the contributions are by students. Recently, the students took up a study on sea shells and as a result, we have more than 200 shells. The students had also conducted a study on butterflies and one can see over 15 species of these in our museum,” she says.
Another major highlight is that the Zoology Museum has a huge whale skeleton which is hung on the roof. “This bone was given to St Agnes in the 1960s. A dead whale was stranded on the Ullal shore. The fishermen gifted the skeleton to the Collage. We have articulated the bones with wire and maintained the skeleton,” reveals College Principal Sr Prem A C.
Botany museum
The Botany museum has more than 500 plant species stored in bottles. “We have divided the species into 6 categories such as Algae, Fungi, Bryophytes, Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms and Angiosperms. The students also have collected over 350 varieties of seeds,” says St Agnes Department of Botany Associate Professor Dr Maria Lobo.
The department has also maintained a Herbarium with over 1000 sheets identifying a plant species, its biological name, family name and other details.
The department looks after two botanical gardens in the campus and one of them is dedicated to medicinal herbs, says Lobo. “We get a better insight into the subject. We also get an opportunity to study animals closely, which is more helpful than artificial models and charts,” says a 1st year Zoology student Anjum.