Mammals: 29,987
16,380 skins
25,278 skulls
2,100 complete skeletons
575 alcoholics (specimens preserved alcohol)
Birds: 26,340
18,501 round skins
2,779 skeletons
7,152 extended wings
4,723 egg sets
1,300 nests
Herps (amphibians and reptiles): 8,237
Insects: 12,500
The insect collection includes desert insects from Arizona and Argentina, gathered during the International Biomes Project, as well as series of many Pacific Northwest insects. In addition, the collection has recently received two donations of thousands of insects from around the world, many of them spectacular, of special value for education and outreach.
Plants: 13,000
Most of the specimens are from Washington, Oregon, and elsewhere in western North America, but many have been acquired from other parts of the world through collecting and exchange. Specimens are being continually acquired by the museum, and the collections are growing by 1-2%/year. Many skeletons of birds and mammals have been prepared to accompany the more traditional skin collections. Especially noteworthy are the largest collections of herps and bird eggs in the Northwest and, until very recently, the largest collection of mammals in the Northwest. The bird wing collection is also of special significance, as a fifth of the bird specimens in the collection have been prepared since 1990 and thus have associated wings. Because it contains series of many species of vertebrates from throughout western North America, the museum is an excellent source of material for the study of geographic variation.
Last updated 14 Feb 2019