Welcome to the Collection of Mammals Collection Data
Established in 1894, the Collection of Mammals is worldwide in scope, and with over 212,000 specimens, is one of the largest, most representative and most heavily used collections of mammals in the world. Both its absolute number of specimens, and geographic and taxonomic representation, render this collection one of the most significant and crucial for specimen-based studies in mammalogy. More than 540 primary type specimens have been catalogued in the Collection. More information about the collection, including access, and the associated research is available here. The mammal collection of The Field Museum currently consists of 222,685 cataloged specimens which are searchable using the options presented here. The primary specimen preparations housed in the collection are skins, skulls, post-cranial skeletons, and fluid preserved specimens, and many of the specimens acquired since 1975 have associated tissues. There are significant auxillary collections, as well, including fluid-preserved brains, preserved genitalia, auditory ossicles, and endocranial casts. The collection is organized according to "Mammal Species of the World" (Wilson and Reeder, 2005), with some modifications. However, users are cautioned that historical names may still be in use. If you are not finding the taxon you seek, try our Taxonomy Search option to find how it might be filed within our collection. While we strive for accuracy in the data presented, we cannot guarantee it, and urge users to verify all data. Currently recent Madagascar records are not available.
Other FM invertebrate Searches
Acknowledgements
The Mammals database was constructed with a combination of Museum and National Science Foundation support, assisted by the collection's many users, who helped verify data. Conversion of Mammals' data to KE EMu was funded by NSF DBI-0545051 and by the Institute of Museum
and Library Services' support for Common Ground, IMLS CM-00-05-0050-05.