The biggest ever exhibition on the life and work of Charles Darwin has today opened at the Natural History Museum in London.

Highlights of the exhibition, which is on until 19 April 2009, include rare specimens of Galapagos mockingbirds, never before displayed, which were instrumental in the development of Darwin’s thinking on the theory of evolution whilst on the HMS Beagle. Other exhibits include live specimens and a recreation of Darwin’s study at Down House in Kent.

2009 marks the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of ‘On the Origin of Species’, and this is the first of a number of events which will run over the course of the next year marking these important milestones. Find out more about these at the ‘Darwin 200′ website.