The Tetrapod Vivarium and Procedure Room is a dedicated facility designed to support experimental work with small to medium-sized vertebrates, including amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. The facility provides controlled housing conditions and a specialised procedure room for microsurgical, anatomical, and physiological studies, with particular emphasis on inner ear research, biofluid sampling, comparative physiology, and the development of experimental protocols relevant to palaeobiology, biomedical engineering, and translational otology.

The space integrates animal housing, environmental control, sample handling, and surgical support in a single functional unit, allowing researchers to bridge organismal biology, experimental physiology, microrheology, and the study of vertebrate sensory systems.

Capabilities of the laboratory

• Controlled animal housing area for multiple tetrapod groups
• Dedicated procedure and microsurgery room
• Surgical microscope for small animal procedures
• Microsurgical instruments and surgical preparation bench
• Anaesthesia and monitoring equipment for small to medium-sized animals
• Temperature-controlled recovery and holding area
• Sample preparation and handling equipment
• Refrigerated and frozen sample storage
• Dedicated HVAC, ventilation and air-conditioning systems for environmental control