Biological Collections

The Mississippi Museum of Natural Science biological collections originated in 1935, and currently consist of more than 1,000,000 specimens, representing the largest single reference for Mississippi vertebrate animals, freshwater mussels, and fossil vertebrates and invertebrates in existence. The collections also contain plant specimens, including rare plants and plants collected from bog, prairie, and savanna habitats of Mississippi. These specimens have been collected by agency personnel, non-agency researchers, and the general public in an ongoing effort to document the diversity, geographic distribution, and ecology of both extant and extinct organisms, as well as the conservation status of living plants and animals in Mississippi. Today, these specimens and specimen related data are used to provide biological information to resource managers, conservation biologists, researchers, educators, and the general public.

Additional Information

• History of Collections
• Value of Collections
• Search Collections
• Amphibians & Reptiles
• Birds
• Fishes
• Paleontology
• Freshwater Invertebrates
• Mammals
• Insects
• Plants