Kaunas Tadas Ivanauskas Museum of Zoology is one of the oldest museums in Lithuania. It was established in 1919 by the initiative of professor Tadas Ivanauskas.
Moved from one place to another for a long while, the museum finally settled in its current place at Laisvės Avenue 106 in 1948. The purpose of museum is to collect scientifically valuable natural heritage objects and help society to understand the natural world properly and become acquainted with the variety of fauna.
The main exhibition of museum is situated in six halls covering the area of 2,500 square metres. Here visitors can find animals living in Lithuania and other countries of the world and learn about their varietal diversity, evolution, behaviour and the living environment. In the exhibition animals are displayed following the scientific-systematic principle – from the most primitive multicellular organisms (sponges) to the superior class of vertebrates (mammals). Visitors can find ~17,000 exhibits in the halls and there are ~250,000 exhibits in the scientific funds. Here are also 3 laboratories – Bioanalysis, Preparation of Biological Specimens and Taxidermy. The museum also owns the Lithuanian Bird Ringing Centre.