Zoology Collection

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The Zoology Collection contains approximately 90,000 lots. Most of these are from Northwest Arkansas, but representative specimens from throughout the world are included as well. The collection is divided between mammals, birds, herps, fish and invertebrates.

Study skins from J.A. Sealander, professor emeritus of zoology, comprise most of the mammal collection. Articulated and disarticulated skeletons are also held, including 350 coyote skulls donated by Phil Gipson and 250 bobcat skulls from Steve Fritz. Approximately 1,000 study skins from Douglas James, co-author of Arkansas Birds, form the main portion of the bird collection.

Approximately 4,000 lots represent the herps of this collection. Most of these have been donated by the Department of Biological Sciences field classes. The fish collection consists of 2,000 lots, mostly from Arkansas. Invertebrates include but are not limited to mollusks from the A. J. Brown Collection, the Environmental Protection Agency, and David Causey, professor emeritus of biology.

Research Publications

Providing researchers access to the collections has long been an important responsibility for Museum staff. For transparency of collection usage and to give back knowledge accumulated over years, especially in relation to indigneous cultural materials, we have compiled a list of publications produced as a result of research conducted at the Museum. View it here. For organization purposes, the list is divided between two tabs located at the bottom – Cultural and Natural.

While we strive to collect publications from all researchers who have utilized the collections, this list is not complete and will continue to grow over time. If you know of additional publications that should be added or have questions about the list, please contact us.