About the collections

The shells in this specimen drawer were collected by Charles Darwin during the voyage of the HMS Beagle between 1831 and 1836. The Zoology Departments collections comprise an estimated 29 million specimensfrom all recent animal groups except insects and arachnids.

Collection strengths
Our collections are worldwide in origin, with a lot of material from former colonial countries in particular. They are rich in:

voucher specimens type specimens historical material extinct and endangered species

Spanning centuries
The bulk of the collections were assembled in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but they also include some 16th century and much modern material. Modern collections reflect the expertise within the department.

Historically-important material
Many specimens originate from the work of famous zoologists, including:

Carl Linnaeus Charles Darwin Alfred Russel Wallace Walter Rothschild Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker Sir Hans Sloane the Sowerby family They were often obtained from voyages of exploration, such as those of Challenger, Alert, Investigator and Discovery.

Collections management

The Tank Room in the Darwin Centre The Zoology Department has over 22,000 square metres of storerooms where 29 million specimens ranging in size from microbes to whales - are housed. The majority are based at South Kensington and Wandsworth in London, while theNatural History Museum at Tring in Hertfordshire is home to the world-class research and collections of the Museum's Bird Group.

Preservation and arrangement of the collections

To allow efficient retrieval the collection is arranged, where possible, in systematic order. The material is preserved in diverse ways, including:

wet-preserved in alcohol skins skeletal material mounted skins and articulated skeletons eggs microscope slides scanning electron microscope stubs frozen tissue video These present a range of challenging curatorial problems.

Collections management objectives

The collections management objectives of the Zoology Department are to:

Maintain the zoological collections of the Natural History Museum as a relevant and comprehensive research infrastructure of world importance. Develop the infrastructure so that the range of the zoological collections is enhanced and maintained for future generations. Continue to provide national and international access to the specimens and knowledge contained in the collections. Maintain and develop the scientific scholarship and expertise of the departmental staff who research and manage the collections.

Curation teams
The maintenance and development of our zoology collections is undertaken by a team of collections management staff.

For administrative purposes, the Zoology Department comprises 5 curation teams: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Mammals Birds Amphibians, reptiles and fish Higher invertebrates Mollusca, Bryozoa and Entoprocta Lower invertebrates Annelida, Cnidaria, Crustacea, Echinodermata, free-living Nematoda, Parastic Worms, Porifera and other invertebrate phyla Each team is led by a collections manager and has 3 or 4 curators. Each curator is responsible for a specific taxonomic area of the collection.

Current collecting priorities

North sea marine worm, Osedax mucofloris. This remarkable whale bone-eating polychaete worm was dissected from a minke whale bone recovered off the west coast of Sweden.

Current sources of material

Fieldwork Collecting by the Zoology Department is mainly done through fieldwork relating to active research programmes and consultancy contracts. These activities contribute specimens to almost the whole range of the departments collections and result in a more focused range of material than previously added. Donations The collections are enhanced by the acquisition of significant donations from institutions and individuals, for example the marine Discovery collections from the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences. Seized material Material seized by HM Revenue and Customs provides another source for the collections. Although not all such material is appropriate for the collections, there is enough to warrant the development of more formal links with HM Revenue and Customs. The use of new non-destructive sampling - photography and forensic sampling - may be relevant in supporting such efforts.


Developing the collections The department has identified areas where the collections represent an increasingly important and unique resource. Find out about plans to develop them in relation to global climate change and the biodiversity crisis, and to increase their potential to be used as time series.

Developing the collections

Mounted specimen of a Thylacinus cynocephalus. This carnivorous marsupial mammal is now probably extinct. The department has identified areas where the collections represent an increasingly important and unique resource:

within the context of global climate change and the biodiversity crisis as time series To make full use of the collections, programmes of action need to be implemented.

Global climate change and the biodiversity crisis

The pace of change and biodiversity loss is accelerating. With the increasing threats to the worlds biodiversity, endangered and recently extinct material is likely to become an increasing proportion of our collection and become increasingly important. Future plans An active policy of identifying such taxa should be developed, and where appropriate an ethical and legal field programme be developed. Active support of the Frozen Ark initiative will enhance the collection of samples from endangered animals suitable for genomic analysis.

Time series
There are many areas of the zoology collections which represent a unique resource because they are either examples of regular sampling or they were collected before the advent of modern industrial polluting processes.

Avian examples of the importance of time series include:

the study of organo-chlorine pesticide impact through both eggshell thinning and extraction of DDE from eggshell membranes the study of changes in mercury pollution of the seas through analysis of seabird feathers Future work While not all parts of the collection are able to function as time series there may be areas which, if a programme of sampling was now undertaken, could be developed as useful resources with which to assess global change. For example, geographical regions with good representative coverage could be used in future studies as the before sample. To enable such programmes to work effectively more of the collections need to be databased. The development of a back-capture databasing programme for the collections is required

Online access

Blue bird of paradise, Paradisaea rudolphi

Zoology specimen catalogue

Part of the zoology collection information is held on the Museums electronic collections management system, and can be accessed using the online zoology specimen database. Zoology specimen database We are actively working to add more specimens to the database so more records will be available soon. If you spot any mistakes, please contact the relevant curation team. Zoology collections staff

Fish
The Fish Group has their entire collection databased. Access this either through the zoology specimen database by selecting Pisces under Curation group. Zoology specimen database

Picture Library
The online Picture Library holds over 40,000 images of:

natural history specimens and documents from the Museums collections the natural world the Museums iconic buildings

Picture Library If you require an image for research purposes and it is not available, you can submit a request that our inhouse photographers will take to your specifications. For specimens this will be in collaboration with the departments curators.

Visiting the zoology collections

Various reptile specimens stored in spirit in the Museum's Darwin Centre

Who can visit? Learn who can visit the zoology collections. This section also includes key information to help those who are eligible to arrange their visit.

Zoology collection visitor information Find out how to get to the Museum and what to do when you get here, plus information about disabled parking and accommodation.


Facility fees Information about the Museum's facility fees policy and charges for those involved in commercial work and research.

Personal insurance and visas Important information for Zoology Department visitors about insurance and visas.

Who can visit?

Indian bullfrog, Rana tigrina Each year Zoology Department staff host over 1500 visiting scientists, students, artists and collections management specialists. Access to the Zoology Departments collections may also be granted to:

volunteer workers responsible members of natural history organisations private citizens with a demonstrable academic interest in our collections Visitors are only admitted by appointment.


Scientists and research students Information and advice for prospective research visitors.

Amateur naturalists Information for amateur naturalists wishing to access zoology material, including literature and specimens.

Artists Information for artists wishing to use the zoology collections.

Volunteers and work experience applicants Information about arranging work experience or volunteering placements.

Collections management and museum studies groups Information for specialist collections management and museum expert groups.

ollections management and museum studies groups

Specimen of the Mediterranean noble pen shell, Pinna nobilis, alongside related products. This bivalve mollusc lives in an upright position, partially buried in sand or mud. It provides an unexpected source for fabric. Specialist collections management or museum expert groups wishing to access the Darwin Centre or be shown around the collections should contact Clare Valentine, Head of Collections. We also offer specialist collections management training which can be tailored to your specific requirements.

Zoology collection visitor information

Detail of the terracotta moulding of starfish and shells on the Museum's Waterhouse Building.

How to get to the Museum

For directions, see getting here. For information about public transport serving South Kensington tube station, bus routes and fares see Transport for London. The Museum is within Zone 1. Consider buying an Oyster Card for much cheaper daily or monthly fares. It will allow you to use underground and mainline trains, and buses.

Disabled parking

There is on-street parking for disabled Blue Badge holders outside the Exhibition Road entrance. On-site parking spaces for disabled Blue Badge holders are limited. For further information please check the Museums access guide. The Museum is within Londons Congestion Zone and driving incurs a daily fee. SeeTransport for London congestion charging.

Entry to the Museum

Before 10.00 Enter via the Exhibition Road staff entrance. The staff on duty will contact your host to come and meet you. After 10.00 You may also enter through the Cromwell Road entrance. The staff on the Information Desk will contact your host to come and meet you. During the school holidays this entrance is very busy so we would strongly recommend that you use the Bronze Gate in order to avoid the long queues. Whilst you are working in the Museum your security pass or visitor badge must be visible at all times.

Accommodation Some suggestions to help Zoology Department visitors find nearby accommodation.

Borrowing from the zoology collections

A female specimen of the football fish, Himantolophus groenlandicus, which is on display at the Museum Specimens from the Zoology Departments collections are available for loan for scientific study or exhibitions subject to certain conditions.


Research loans Find out how to arrange a loan of zoology collection material for scientific research purposes.

Exhibition loans Key contacts and information for those wishing to borrow material for non-research purposes.

Enquiries

The Thames Whale: Skeleton of the northern bottlenose whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus, which became stranded in the River Thames.

Scientific enquiries
Scientific enquiries relating to the zoology collections can be addressed to the relevant member of the collection management team. It can be difficult to answer questions about specimens not yet on the Museums collections management system. Most other specimens were either registered by hand in a ledger book register or may be unregistered. If you require information for a small non-inventoried group, we may be able to provide a spreadsheet from the collection. However, as this is extremely time-consuming we may have to charge for the curators time. Zoology collections staff

Identification and advisory services

These are based in the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity. Visits are by appointment. To arrange a visit, email us. We do not answer enquiries on cryptozoology. Please note: members of the general public wishing to arrange a visit should follow the instructions on the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity webpages. Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity

Media enquiries
Journalists who wish to speak to Zoology Department staff should contact the Museums Press Office in the first instance.

Consultancy

Yellow-banded dart frog, Dendrobates leucomelas. We are able to draw upon the extensive expertise of our staff to support an established and expanding international consultancy service. Our consultancy team can provide:

international identifications and quality assurance ecological and environmental impact assessments expert witness services training courses Contact Martin Stemp for further information or visit our consulting pages.

Go to the consulting pages We are also able to:

undertake commissions offer a full advisory service relating to collections management issues Contact Clare Valentine.

Acquisitions, bequests and donations

Specimen jar containing the common nautilus, Nautilus pompilius, collected in the Indo-Pacific region. The Zoology Department appreciates the offer of donations and bequests of specimens to its collection. The Natural History Museum acts as a custodian of its collections for the nation and the international scientific community. This is great responsibility and staff must carefully consider any item before it is accepted for the collection. We normally only acquire material that has a provenance - full details of where and when it was collected.

Considering bequesting material?

If you are considering bequesting material to the Museum, please contact us so that we can help assess your generous offer, as we cannot accept gifts automatically. Please do not send or bring specimens to the Museum without an appointment.

Transfer of title
When a specimen is accepted we have to go through the formal process to change its ownership. Before accepting material we will ask you to complete a Transfer of Title form to show that the material was legally acquired and can be passed to us in line with wildlife laws.

Release of registration numbers for publication

If you require Museum registration numbers to be released for publication before sending us the material we will normally send you the numbers on a 'loan' receipt form to help us keep track of the material.

Collections management

Dried specimen of Alcaea pallida, a flower from Turkey, from the Museum's herbarium Collections Management is an academic and practical discipline that enables staff to apply the highest standards in the curation, conservation and enhancement of the Museums collections and to develop electronic resources to increase access to the information they contain. The principal aim of Collection Management at the Museum is to enable the collections to be used to further the knowledge of the natural world through loans, visits and collaborative research projects, in addition to supporting our own research programmes.

Collections policy and procedures Policies and procedures governing the way in which collections are used and maintained.

Collections Navigator General information about the science departments collections.

Collections management: consulting Museum staff have unrivalled skills and experience in curation, museology and collections management.

Collections policy and procedures

Shelves holding rows of glass specimen jars The Natural History Museum is governed by laws set out in Acts of Parliament. The main law governing the activities of the Natural History Museum is the British Museum Act 1963 (PDF (59.0KB) (which was amended by the Museums and Galleries Act 1992 PDF (67.0KB)). The laws define that the Trustees of the Museum and the Director of the Museum are responsible for the collections. To enable the day-to-day management of the museum these laws are interpreted through policies approved by the Trustees. The Life and Earth Sciences and Library Collections Curatorial Policies and Collections Management Procedures detail how the collections are managed, and where the delegation of authority and responsibility has been placed by the Trustees and Director. Life and Earth Sciences and Library Collections: Curatorial Policies and Collections Management Procedures - 2003 PDF (315.7 KB) These policies are reviewed and updated every five years and were last updated in 2003.

Collections management: consulting

The staff at the Natural History Museum, have unrivalled skills and experience in curation, museology and collections management. The world-renowned Natural History Museum collections have been developed over more than two centuries and their extensive coverage make this the most comprehensive natural history collection in existence - with more than 70 million specimens. The collections are complemented by a range of databases and the world's finest natural history library. As well as being a research institute, the Natural History Museum is a major national attraction with 1.8 million visitors per year, and it is an important educational resource that has an ambitious exhibition and development programme.

As the world's biodiversity becomes endangered, the importance of developing and preserving natural history collections increases, as does the need for study and public education. The Museum is ideally placed to provide training courses, services and consultancy that will enable researchers, curators and others to develop the required high standards of stewardship, curatorial and museum skills.

We can offer assistance in:

seminars, short courses, tailored courses, individual tuition, or formal courses in a wide range of collections based and museum subjects training is given in identification, collecting, curation, conservation, collections management, education, exhibition, design and other aspects of museolog

identifications and advice relating to business and industry, environment, public health, customs and quarantine, food contamination, forensic science, expert witness and identification of jewellery and auction items advice to the media, evaluation of publisher's material, commercial loans, filming, use of images in advertising and publications

advice to institutions, capacity development, technology transfer, peer review, collections development and museology, planning and design, exhibition and education services contract research, conservation or curation, access to the collections and data collections management, specialist curation or preservation and other collections-based consultancy

Find out more about our recent Collections management projects.

Collections management
Recent projects

We can handle commercial enquiries and provide advice on cargo issues, for example spiders in banana cargo.

training of Indonesian Collections Managers A tailored course using the Natural History Museum collections to provide training in curation and collections management techniques. (Global Environment Facility)

capacity development in Costa Rica National institution building through the development of training programmes for parataxonomists and curatorial staff. (INBio/British Council)

MSc in Advanced Methods in Taxonomy and Biodiversity A joint course with Imperial London, that includes a collections management module. ( which can be taken as a separate course)

arthropods of medical & veterinary importance An intensive identification course.

insect pests in museums A two-day training course aimed at museum professionals from curators to cleaning supervisors. Beijing Natural History Museum Consultation on modern exhibition design and display techniques. (Beijing Natural History Museum)

Pakistan Museum of Natural History Advice on planning a new facility, setting policy, establishing a research collection, educational services and creating new exhibitions. (Pakistan Science Foundation/British Council)

Saudi Arabian National Museum, Riyadh Participation in international peer-group review of proposals for a new museum and visitor centre. (Riyadh Development Athority)

Oman University Museum of Geology Advice on exhibition, planning of galleries, etc. (Sultan Qaboos University)

National Museums of Kenya A preparatory phase review prior to restructuring the Museum. Focusing on collections and research development, exhibition design, capacity building and a funding review. (European Commission: DGVIII)

advice and training on information Development from scientific collections in Brazil A review of the National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA) and provision of recommendations to foster the use of collections as a resource tool in research and measures to improve information transfer and use. (Department for International Development)

quality assured checklist of species status Production of databased information on listed species in Europe. (English Nature/JNCCj)

Find out more about our Collections management consulting services.

Entomology collections
Management and curation
The collections of insects and other terrestrial and freshwater arthropods, including spiders, mites and myriapods, comprise an estimated 28 million prepared specimens. They include named representatives of about half of the more than one million described species. The collections are arranged systematically with only two personal collections, those of Sir Hans Sloane and Sir Joseph Banks, kept as separate entities. About 10 per cent of the specimens in the collections are from the British Isles.

Tragocephala nobilis, longhorn beetle The Museum's insect collections are the most comprehensive in the world. Although a few other institutions hold equally large collections, those of the Natural History Museum are unrivalled in the depth and breadth of their coverage. Developed over more than two centuries, they form a comprehensive database of the known world fauna and their scientific value goes far beyond their primary area of use, taxonomic research. They are an important part of Britain's cultural heritage. The number of insect species which await description is estimated to be between five and ten million. The collections of insects and other terrestrial and freshwater arthropods, including spiders, mites and myriapods, comprise an estimated 28 million prepared specimens. They include named representatives of about half of the one million and more described species. (The number of insect species that still await description is estimated to be between five and ten million.) The remainder of the collections is sorted to various taxonomic levels and is supplemented by quantities of unprepared material. The collections are arranged systematically; only two personal collections, those of Sir Hans Sloane and Sir Joseph Banks, are kept as separate entities. About 2.9 million specimens in the collections are from the British Isles. The collections comprise only recent material. The Museum's collections of fossil insects and other arthropods are the responsibility of the Department of Palaeontology. Geographical range

Worldwide coverage is one of the great strengths of the collections. However, some geographical areas are generally better represented (notably much of the Commonwealth and former British Empire) and others less so (notably some parts of the New World and the eastern Palaearctic). Historical range

The oldest specimens were collected about 1680, but the major part of the material is of 20th century origin. The work, the collections and the type specimens of many eminent entomologists are incorporated into the Museum's collections. They are of great importance because of the continuing, active curation and research reflected in their wide taxonomic coverage and in the high level of identification and taxonomic organisation of the material they contain.

Current priority areas for collecting

Active collecting is concentrated on those groups which are the subject of current research programmes and is pursued mainly through fieldwork. Some of the more significant priority areas, in terms of collection development, are listed here.

The British fauna. To support the initiative on UK biodiversity and to ensure that the Museum's collections are comprehensive at the species level, that immature stages are represented; and that species are represented from their broad geographic range within the British Isles.

Families of Diptera of medical and veterinary importance, particularly Culicidae, Simuliidae, Sarcophagidae, Calliphoridae, Oestridae and Phlebotominae. Termites, particularly from West Africa, Malaysia and tropical America, for systematic studies and to evaluate species richness and elucidate the role of termites in ecosystems. Hawkmoths (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae), with the aim of filling gaps in our already comprehensive collection, and in connection with phylogenetic and biogeographical studies. Ichneumon wasps (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae), particularly from Central America, in connection with systematic and biogeographical studies. Various groups of mites and ticks (Acarina) important in agriculture and as vectors of disease. Forest canopy arthropods, notably beetles, in connection with research on richness and composition of faunal assemblages in tree crowns, especially those of tropical rainforests.

Various groups of Homoptera, such as aphids, important in agriculture and horticulture. Various groups of insects on which there are programmes of worldwide revisionary taxonomic studies:

Ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) Chalcid wasps (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) Geometer moths (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) Staphylinid beetles (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) Weevils (Coleoptera, Curculionidae)

Collection statistics

Estimates of numbers of specimens are based on data gathered in 1992, updated with information on accessions and disposals since that time. A prepared specimen is usually an individual, often adult, mounted on a pin, but it can be a microscope slide preparation (of a part, or a whole, or several individuals), or one or a sample of a species in a vial of alcohol, or the work of an insect (such as a leaf mine, a nest or a wood boring). The estimates of the numbers of type specimens are of nominal species-group taxa represented by primary types (that is, holotypes, lectotypes, neotypes and syntypes). The numbers for secondary types (paratypes and paralectotypes) are several times the primary type totals given, as are the numbers of cited, figured and other significant voucher specimens.

Collection Apterygote groups Orthopteroid orders Hemiptera, etc Phthiraptera

Prepared specimens Types 50,000 757,000 3,206,000 55,000 400 5,400 24,000 1,700 75,000

Coleoptera and Strepsiptera 8,580,000

Collection Diptera Siphonaptera Neuropteroid orders, etc Lepidoptera Hymenoptera Arachnida, Myriapoda, etc Totals

Prepared specimens Types 2,352,000 260,000 580,000 8,712,000 3,200,000 100,000 27,852,000 16,000 925 4,800 125,000 21,000 5,000 279,225

Location and storage

All the insect collections are in the six floor Entomology building at the west end of the South Kensington site. The arachnids, myriapods, etc are in the Spirit building. The pinned collections are in about 120,000 glasslidded drawers, in cabinets and racks of a number of capacities. Seven main sizes of drawer are in use. In addition about 5,500 storeboxes remain in use. Microscope slides are in about 240 purpose-built cabinets of various sizes and designs. Jars of spirit-preserved material are housed on shelves or in drawers in metal units. Curation

Within the Department of Entomology the Head of Collections, supported by three Collections Managers and their teams of curators, is responsible for the curation of the National Collections of insects and other terrestrial arthropods. Collections management staff also make important contributions to the Department's research programmes and, conversely, research staff contribute to the care and development of the collections. Acquisitions and disposals

Primary acquisitions, through Museum fieldwork, range from about 1,000 to over 30,000 specimens per year. Secondary acquisitions, through donation, bequest, exchange and purchase, also fluctuate widely year-onyear, ranging from less than 20,000 to over 200,000. The annual average of specimens added to the registered collections is 130,000. Almost all disposals are donations of specimens to other institutions, often in exchange for material given to the Museum. Annual totals range between about 200 and 1,000. Use of the collections

The collections are used most actively in support of the Department's own biosystematic research, but the Museum's collections are involved in almost all significant taxonomic research worldwide, through collaborative projects, visits, and loans. The vast database formed by the collections represent is also used in a variety of other ways, for example in the provision of identifications, advice and consultancy.

Collections-based training is another important element in the work of the curatorial staff, and ranges from individual tuition to formal courses, often in conjunction with universities and other institutions. Collections management and development

Much of the collections management effort is devoted to care and maintenance, and active collection development is often associated with research projects. However, the Collections Management teams have a critical strategic role and have a programme of curatorial projects aimed at long-term enhancement and development of the collections. The staff are also active in developing and improving methods, materials and equipment across the whole field of collections management, from specifications for cabinets to computer indexing. Access to the collections

On each working day there are usually more than 10 visiting scientists in the Department, studying and using the collections. An appointment is usually necessary and initial contact should be made with the relevant Collections Manager. Visitors are requested, where appropriate, to make provision through their funding bodies for a Facilities Fee. A charge is mandatory if the collections are consulted for commercial purposes. Information on facilities for visitors, levels of Facilities Fees and commercial charges are available from Collections Managers. Loans

At any one time about 200,000 specimens are out on loan to over 1,000 researchers around the world. Each year between 600 and 700 new loans (24,000-38,000 specimens) are sent to over 300 borrowers in more than 40 countries. The vast majority of specimens sent on loan are for use in taxonomic research projects. Requests for loans should be directed to the appropriate Collections Manager or the specialist on the group concerned. Related information

See research projects for a listing of online Entomology online collections. Find out more about the Entomology department. View some of the Museum's Entomology treasures.

Palaeontology collections
The Palaeontology Department houses one of the world's great palaeontological collections, with over 9 million specimens gathered from across the globe.

Collections overview
Our collection represents a history of research from the 16th century to the present day, and it is continually developing and evolving. Many specimens were collected or donated by individuals who were at the forefront of the developing science of geology as collectors, patrons and scientists, including:

William Smith Charles Darwin the Sowerbys James Bowerbank Gideon Mantell Mary Anning William Gilbertson


Fossil invertebrate collections Our collections of fossil invertebrates are significant both in terms of their scope and the number of type and figured specimens they contain. We also care for the Museum's Recent (non-fossil) brachiopod material. Explore these important collections.

Micropalaeontology collections Our extensive reference collections of foraminifera, ostracods, conodonts, palynomorphs, nannoplankton and radiolarians are regularly consulted as part of ocean acidification and climate change studies, as well as for commercial work.

Palaeobotany collections The palaeobotany collections span the Archean to the present, and are among the most important worldwide with respect to geographic, stratigraphic and historical coverage. They contain cyanobacteria and fungi as well as plants. Find out more.

Fossil vertebrate collections The Museum's fossil vertebrate collections feature mammals, fishes, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Learn more about these collections rich in type specimens and historically-important material.

Palaeontology specimen database Search the palaeontology database for specimens held at the Museum.

Fossil vertebrate collections

The skull of a modern fish-eating crocodile, the Gharial, found in India. The Palaeontology Department houses a large vertebrate collection containing fossils from all continents, particularly Britain and Europe. The vertebrate collection includes

the earliest bird, Archaeopteryx jawless fishes, the oldest vertebrate group to appear in the geological record the earliest tetrapods a wealth of dinosaur and marine reptile species the earliest mammal species mammoths and woolly rhinos that roamed in Britain during the interglacial ages.

Fossil mammal collections Our British holdings are the fastest-growing part of the fossil mammal collections, but we care for material from all around the world including a diverse collection of Mesozoic mammals. There is an abundance of type and figured material. Find out more about the collections and how to arrange research visits.

Fossil fish collection Founded in the 1880s, our fossil fish collection continues to increase in size and scope thanks to donations and fieldwork. It includes material from every modern continent and spans the Ordovician to the Pleistocene. UK fishes are particularly well-represented. Learn more.

Fossil reptile collections From the holotype specimen of the oldest known reptile to the first articulated plesiosaur, the Museum houses many important and historic fossil reptile specimens. All major reptile clades are represented among the 33,100 specimens and we care for one of the world's most important dinosaur collections. Find out more.

Fossil amphibian collection Our fossil amphibian collection includes material from the Late Devonian to Pleistocene, with type specimens of temnospondyl amphibians, microsaurs, nectrideans, frogs and salamanders. Explore the highlights.