Odds and quads

The specimen is on display in the Veterinary Anatomy Museum at the University of Bristol.

Also to be seen are a cat's skull and a tiger's skull, and the skeletons of an iguana, a polar bear, a Royal python - and most notably Daniel, the first gorilla to be successfully raised in captivity in Great Britain.

Daniel was born in Bristol Zoo in 1971. He died suddenly of a heart attack in full view of the public in 1994. Another former zoo resident was a 7ft Nile crocodile that a post-mortem examination revealed had swallowed a total of 37p in coins.

All these zoological treasures and many others of botanical, geological, musical and theatrical interest make up the 100-item online "Cabinet of Curiosities" put together by the university for its 2009 centenary to showcase the wonders of its museum and archival collections.

Send suggestions for this series on the treasures, oddities and curiosities owned by universities across the world to matthew.reisz@tsleducation.com.