IN SOME cases they have been dead for thousands of years but that did not stop visitors to Oxford’s University Museum of Natural History getting up close to these reptile specimens.

As part of its school holiday events, the Parks Road museum opened up some of its reptile collection and allowed visitors young and old to get their hands on what lay within.

Youngsters also had the chance to make reptile specimens of their own at the event on Monday which is one of a series allowing visitors to find out more about the collections at the museum.

Visitor Luke Meads got his hands on a crocodile skull.

He said: “The crocodile skull had really sharp teeth.

“It made me really happy because it was the first time I held a crocodile skull.”