VISITORS to Kelvingrove got their first glimpse of the newly refurbished Life Gallery at the weekend.

The gallery, which had been closed for six months, sees some new additions in the form of a leopard donated by the former Glasgow Zoo and some Arctic tern seabirds.

And a few familiar old faces were back to greet members of the public on Saturday, with Sir Roger the elephant taking pride of place, where he has been a regular sight for more than 100 years after arriving in 1902.

Joining Sir Roger was a juvenile male Asian elephant - named Kelvin following a competition in the Evening Times - that came from the Scottish Zoo in 1899.

The creation of the new Life Gallery is a two-year project. Renovations were timed to coincide with the iconic Spitfire which hangs in Kelvingrove being lowered last autumn for a routine inspection, setting in motion one of the largest exhibit changes since the building reopened in 2006.

This marks the culmination of the first phase, with the second set to take place at the end of the year.

Phase two will see the completion of the gallery space, with the addition of displays relating to other areas of the world including the famed kangaroos and koalas of Australasia.

Manager of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Neil Ballantyne, said he was confident the visitors would agree the gallery "looks fantastic."

He added: "More than that, it offers an opportunity to experience and learn about parts of the world that are far from and entirely different to Glasgow."

The redesigned gallery was made possible with the support of the independent charity Friends of Glasgow Museums, a donation from Glasgow Museums Patron's Circle and a significant public fundraising campaign.

Friends of Glasgow Museums made the first donation of almost £50,000 which enabled a complete redisplay of the African section.

Chairwoman of Friends of Glasgow Museums, Liz Dent, said: "We are delighted to have been able to support the complete redisplay of the African ecozone, with our biggest donation to date.

"I hope today's generation get as much pleasure from the natural history display as previous generations have."