UBC Beaty Biodiveristy Museum

Vancouver’s Beaty Biodiversity Museum at UBC features a collection of biological exhibits including animal, plant and insect specimens and fossils.

Since opening its doors in 2010, the museum has been designed to shine a spotlight on why biodiversity is so important and how we, as individuals, can help maintain it.

The Beaty Biodiversity Museum

Home to some 2,000,000 specimens, the Beaty Biodiversity Museum displays all kinds of biological organisms including insects, plants and mammals.

Located at 2212 Main Mall at the University of British Columbia, the facility was the first biodiversity museum in Canada to publicly display its scientific findings to help educate visitors on what they can do to help the current environmental crisis.

Beaty Museum Bird Display

Hours and Admission Rates

The Museum is open from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm Tuesday to Sunday. It is closed on Mondays.

Admission rates as of early 2021 are the following:

Adults – $14
Seniors, Students (with ID) and Youth (ages 13 to 17) – $12
Children (ages 5 to 12) – $10
UBC Students and Employees – Free
Families – either $30 or $45 depending on the family size

Children 4 years old and younger get in for free. There are also annual memberships available for $35 per adult, $25 per senior or student, and $45 to $70 per family.

Beaty Nocturnal Nights

On the third Thursday of most months the museum hosts its Beaty Nocturnal event when they have special evening hours from 5:00 until 8:30 pm and where admission is by donation.

Note: These events have been cancelled for the immediate future because of COVID-19. Click Beaty Nocturnal for the most up-to-date information.

Biodiversity Museum Exhibitions

Some of the permanent exhibits that are displayed in the Beaty Biodiversity Museum are the largest blue whale skeleton in Canada (at approximately 86 feet in length), casts of dinosaur footprints that were discovered in British Columbia, and a timeline of Earth’s history including when various organisms appeared and disappeared over time.

The museum also has many temporary exhibits that change often as well as online exhibits that you can visit without having to go to the building itself.

Mammal Heads at Beaty Biodiversity Museum

Other Information

To learn more about the museum see the official Beaty Biodiversity Museum website.

If you’re on the UBC campus and interested in visiting other places of interest, check out the Museum of Anthropology, UBC Botanical Garden or Nitobe Memorial Garden.

For more information about the campus see our article about the University of British Columbia.

Other museums and related places of interest in Vancouver include the following: