Musée de Paléontologie de Chilhac

The Musée de Paléontologie de Chilhac, also known as the Musée de Paléontologie Christian Guth, is a museum of paleontology located in Chilhac, in the Haute-Loire department of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in France. The museum is recognized as a 'Musée de France', a label that guarantees the quality of the collections, the building, and the services offered to the public.

Collection and Notable Exhibits

The museum houses a collection of fossil bones that were discovered in Chilhac. These fossils played a significant role in the evolution of paleontological science during the 19th and 20th centuries. One of the museum's most notable exhibits is the only known complete skull of a mastodon from Auvergne.

Exhibition Spaces and Displays

The museum's permanent exhibition spaces include a ground floor where southern mammoths and mastodons from Auvergne are presented. The first floor is dedicated to other species of vertebrates discovered on the site, including tigers, rhinoceros, deer and gazelles, hyenas, bears, horses, beavers, porcupines, geese, and ducks. A temporary exhibition is scheduled each summer, adding variety to the museum's offerings. In total, the museum presents fifteen species of mammals.