Paleontological Museum

The Paleontological Museum is housted in the imposing Mastaba Mosque. This historical monument was donated by the Ministry of Culture to the Goulandris Museum of Natural History and, after expensive restoration and museum studies, was converted into an annex of the museum.

The exhibition is based on the paleontological collection of the Municipality of Rethymnon and presents the evolutionary course of Crete through 300 million years of geological and paleontological changes. Visitors get to know the endemic mammals that lived on the island through life-size reproductions with scientific accuracy. The dwarf elephant, the hippopotamus and the impresive Cretan deer stand out, headed by the snapping deer, which has been adopted as the symbol of the museum.