Collections
Mammals: 14,500 specimens (representing 24 of the 26 Mammalian Orders, from over 70 families)
Study Skins & Skulls: 13,250
Complete Skeletons: 750
Tanned Hides: 225
Specimens in Alcohol: 225
Mounted Specimens: 50
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Birds: 7,000 specimens (from over 100 families)
Study Skins: 6,525
Complete Skeletons: 300
Mounted Specimens: 125
Specimens in Alcohol: 50
Caliological and Oological Collection:
Caliology = the study of bird's nests
Oology = the study of eggs (primarily bird's eggs)
This collections contains over 200 hundred specimens; the earliest of
which were collected in the 1880's.
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Fish: 3,200 specimens (over 20,000 individuals from over 100 families)
Specimens in Alcohol: 3,100
Complete Skeletons: 100
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Reptiles and Amphibians: 320 specimens (over 2,000 individuals)
Specimens in Alcohol: 300
Complete Skeletons: 20
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The Montana Comparative Skeletal Collection (MCSC) is a unit of the zoological museum, which is
specifically geared toward aiding faunal analysts, (particularly zooarchaeologists) with their studies.
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~ Value of Biological Collections ~
- Documentation of the Past - Collections can document populations no longer available to science, including species recently extinct because of human influence. As habitat destruction continues to accelerate, we will never have access to many species and the genetic, biochemical, and environmental information they contain unless they are represented in museum collections.
- Biogeography - Collections are crucial for documenting the past and present geographic distributions of organisms. This is essential information not only for studies of ecology and evolution, but alsofor resource management, conservation planning and monitoring, and studies of global change.
- Sources and Vouchers - Museum collections serve as source materials, and voucher specimens for a host of other nonsystematic studies. Geneticists, anatomists, biochemists, and demographers can all use existing museum materials in their work and deposit representative specimens in museum collections.
- Identification Resource - Museum collections are a unique resource allowing for the comparison and identification of biological material, discovered by scientists or by the public. Accurate identification is fundamental to any research project.
- Education - Seeing and handling a real natural history specimen is a completely different experience from looking at a picture or reading a description. Museum collections are constantly used for teaching purposes, from a preschool museum tour wih hands-on specimens to graduate school classes.
