Odd Animal Specimens
Charlie Engelman pulls strange animals, skulls and insects from a zoology museum's collection and explains what makes each one unusual.
What it is
@oddanimalspecimens is the project of Charlie Engelman, a biologist and TV producer based in Ann Arbor. He films in the research collections of the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, which holds around 15 million specimens, from mammals and birds to reptiles, mollusks and insects. The videos are short and deliberately unhurried: a specimen on screen, a calm English voiceover, and a question up front that only gets answered at the end.
Why we picked it
In a feed where everyone shouts, Odd Animal Specimens wins with quiet curiosity. Two-headed snakes, skulls that are hard to place, insects few people ever see alive: all real scientific specimens normally tucked away from visitors. The object itself does the work that clickbait usually does.
There is serious craft behind the simplicity. Charlie won an Emmy for the National Geographic series Weird But True, and the project began as research into how museum collections can be used most effectively in online video. He has said a single clip takes days to script, shoot and edit. In 2025, TIME named him to its list of the 100 most influential creators.
Where to start
- The guess-the-skull puzzles, the easiest way to get hooked.
- Videos on animals with rare anomalies like two-headed snakes, the kind of thing you only see in a collection.
- Clips on unusual insects and sea creatures.
- The Odd Animal Specimens YouTube channel for longer cuts.
Who it's for
Biology and natural history fans, kids, and the adults who make a beeline for the skeletons at any museum. The narration is in English, but the specimens are striking enough that viewers with basic English will still enjoy them.
Quick answers
Are the specimens real? Yes. They come from the scientific collection of the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.
Who runs it? Charlie Engelman, a University of Michigan biology graduate and Emmy-winning producer.
Can I watch without TikTok? Yes. The profile opens in a browser, and longer versions are on YouTube.
