KMNH［Diversity of Life Room］

At the back of the hall “History of the Earth and Life” is the Diversity of Life Room. Lined up together in this room are stuffed mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish, in addition to real specimens of insects and plants. Among these are some that still have the feeling of being alive, such as the large basking shark that hangs from the ceiling.
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Giant Japanese Spider Crab	Japanese Slit Shells	Giraffe	Japanese Maples

The Giant Japanese Spider crab is the largest of living arthropods. These crabs have been known to reach 4 meters diagonally from leg to leg.。	Japanese Slit Shells are called “living fossils” because they form has changed very little since the Paleozoic Era. The slit shells gained fame and the nickname “Millionaire's Shells” after a collector became rich.	Although the giraffe's great height enables it to forage in the tree canopy, it must splay its forelegs widely in order to drink water.	Here, 14 types of Japanese maples are displayed, including some that you might not even recognize as maples.

Insects and Wings	The Largest Basking Shark in Japan	Leatherback Turtle	White-Naped Crane

Insects developed wings during the course of their evolution, rose into the air and become the most abundant and successful animals on earth. Wings show various shapes and colours and play a vital role not only in migration but also in courtship behaviour.	Cetorhinus maximus, or basking shark, is the second largest fish in the world. This stuffed specimen is 8.3 meters in length, and was caught off the coast of Wakamatsu Ward in 1993.	Leatherbacks are the largest extant turtles, with shells 2 meters long. Unlike most turtles Leatherbacks have soft shells.	Only 6,000 white naped cranes remain in the world, designated a globally threatened species. About 3,000 of these birds spend the winter in the Izumi Plain in Kagoshima Prefecture.