Collections

  • Botany

    Lewisia rediviva PurshThe Botany Department manages the Philadelphia Herbarium (PH), which more than a million specimens and includes some of the oldest and most important plant collections in the Americas. In addition, Botany staff undertakes research on plant biodiversity and evolution. The department is part of the Center for Systematic Biology and Evolution the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

  • Diatom Herbarium

    Diatom HerbariumThe Diatom Herbarium, one of the two largest in the world, contains approximatey 220,000 slides, of which abut 5,000 are types. Materials include both fossil and recent diatoms collected from fresh, brackish and marine habitats. The herbarium is part of the Center for Systematic Biology and Evolution the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

  • Entomology

    butterflyThe collections of the Entomology Department contain more than 3,500,000 specimens of which more than 11,000 are primary types. Current research includes the systematics of Orthoptera and Tipuloidea, and an ongoing survey of aquatic insects in Mongolia. The department is part of the Center for Systematic Biology and Evolution the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

  • Herpetology

    snake skullThe Herpetology Collection at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is, although moderate in size, one of the most historically important and biologically diverse in the world.

  • Invertebrates (general)

    large snail on man's handThe General Invertebrates Collection is worldwide in scope, with emphasis on localities in the Eastern and Gulf Coasts of the United States. It's managed by the Malacology Department, Center for Systematics Biology and Evolution, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

  • Ichthyology

    Detail of fishThe Ichthyology Collections contain nearly 1.2 million cataloged specimens representing an estimated 11,000 species. It's managed by the Ichthyology Department, Center for Systematic Biology and Evolution, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

  • Malacology

    detail of a shellThe Academy's collection of recent mollusks is the oldest in the country, and the second largest catalogued one in the world. The Malacology Department is part of the Center for Systematic Biology and Evolution at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

  • Mammalogy

    detail of elephant printThe Mammalogy Collection is notable for its type specimens and geographic scope. The collection is managed by the Department of Vertebrate Biology of the Center for Systematic Biology and Evolution at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

  • Ornithology

    owlThe Ornithology Collection at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is one of the 10 largest and taxonomically most complete bird collections in the world. There are nearly 200,000 study skins, representing over 7,000 species, and over 10,000 tissue samples.

  • Rotifera

    Rotifer: Macrochaetus collinsi (female, dorsal view)The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University houses the world's most comprehensive collection of rotifers on microslides. The collection is comprised of 1,935 slides covering 744 taxa from 34 countries; 1,228 of these slides are included in the online catalog.

  • Vertebrate Paleontology

    lithograph of fossilized skull of Hyaenodon horridus American Paleontology originated in Philadelphia and many of the original specimens are housed in the Vertebrate Paleontology Collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. Current research focuses on Late Devonian-age fossils, including Tiktaalik and early tetrapods. Vertebrate Paleontology is part of the Department of Vertebrate Biology in the Center for Systematic Biology and Evolution of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

  • Invertebrate Paleontology

    drawing of a shellThe Invertebrate Paleontology collections at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University are the oldest in the United States. It is managed by the Malacolgy Department, Center for Systematic Biology and Evolution, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.
Founded in 1812, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is a world-class natural history museum dedicated to advancing research, education, and public engagement in biodiversity and environmental science.

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