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Vertebrate Collections

Our Fish Collection contains ca. 60,000 lots of fluid-preserved specimens, 1,000 lots of cleared and stained specimens, and ca.500 lots of fish skeletons and otoliths. We have ca. 1,740 type specimens that are mainly paratypes. We have a good representation of freshwater and marine species, predominately from North American high latitudes. Nature holds the best Canadian Arctic and lamprey collection in the world.

Our Amphibian and Reptile Collection contains ca. 37,000 lots, most of which are fluid-preserved, with some skeletons, skins and mounted specimens. We have representatives from 560 species in 55 families and 137 type specimens, two of which are holotypes. Our emphasis is on geographic and life history variation of common species in Canada. Approximately 89% of the collection comprises Canadian specimens.

Our extensive Bird Collection comprises study skins, mounted specimens, skeletons, nests, eggs and some fluid-preserved specimens. In all, there are approximately 125,000 specimens representing about 2,600 species (1/4 of the world's species). This reference collection documents the extensive variation found in bird species across Canada, but also in countries where some of our birds spend the winter, such as Mexico or Brazil. The collection contains specimens taken over a long span of time, including species that are now extinct.

Our Mammal Collection has ca. 85,000 study skins, pelts, mounts and skeletons, from about 600 species. We have the most comprehensive collection of Canadian mammals, with extensive coverage of Arctic regions. Carnivores, ungulates, rodents and marine mammals are well represented. Nature also holds many cetacean tissue samples (both dry and fluid-preserved) that were collected in the North Atlantic during commercial whaling operations in the 1960s and early 1970s.

Our Osteological Reference collection, established in 1972, provides a modern reference for the identification of vertebrate hard tissues recovered from archaeological sites, or from biological studies. The collection has grown to over 4,500 skeletons, including 252 species of fish, 269 species of birds, 38 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 121 species of mammals.

Nature has the world's most extensive collection of Canadian skeletons. This collection is available for use by private contractors on a fee basis.

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