Introduce your kids to natural history with these fun Twitter accounts

Humans, and birds, aren’t the only creatures that love tweeting.  The past two years have seen an increasing trend for museums to use social media in more accessible and entertaining ways to increase public awareness of their work.  From prehistoric creatures to the recently extinct, Twitter has a growing population of non-human (and non breathing) users.

Often light-hearted and always educational these Twitter accounts are a great way of bringing natural history to life. They provide kids (and adults) with a focus for their visits the museums and give personality to otherwise imposing institutions.

Here are some of our favourites.

One of the most popular accounts belongs to @OisinTheDeer, a Giant Irish Deer that lives in Warwick’s Market Hall Museum.  Aimed at kids, the accounts tweets updates about events taking place in the museum and across the UK.

He also exchanges a few tweets with @spotticusnh – a Giraffe that calls Ireland’s Natural History Museum home.   Spotticus tweets about events in the museum after hours and also has a fair bit to say about current events.

While @spotticusnh might bask in the limelight @AntoTheDodo, a Dublin Dodo (obviously) is mounting a campaign (#MoveDubDodo) to have himself moved from behind the scenes at the same museum to somewhere the public can see him.

Back over in the UK and rewind a few million years  (or 107, depending on when you start counting) and Diplodocus carnegii, aka @NHM_Dippy, is a tweeting dinosaur who highlights the British Natural History Museum’s research.  Like @AntoTheDodo, he (she?)  is running a campaign, this time to raise money for the institution.

In Canada Vic the Dino, @VicTheDino, a bling wearing T-Rex tweets for the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa.  Like @NHM_Dippy he’s attempting to mount a #Roarvolution and is actively recruiting followers.

In Michigan, a Smilodon (better known as a saber-toothed tiger) called Sabra, @SabraSabertooth, tweets updates about the Heritage Museum and Cultural Center and modern conservation efforts.

Similarly, Sandy the Mammoth, @SandytheMammoth, takes to Twitter to discuss findings in palaeontology and science.  @SandytheMammoth is housed in New Mexico’s Western Heritage Museum. We’re not sure if @SabraSabertooth and @SandytheMammoth would have been friends.

Let us know if you find other tweeting creatures for us to add to the list.