Mammals
- Artibeus watsoni (Thomas' Fruit-eating Bat), Costa Rica. N. Woodman. © Smithsonian Institution.
The Division of Mammals houses a world-class collection of roughly 590,000 preserved specimens. This collection supports a wide range of scientific research by resident staff and associates, as well as numerous visiting scientists. Divisional collection management staff preserve, conserve, and document our specimens to ensure their accessiblity to present and future research activities.
Our mammal specimens have also played an integral role in such NMNH exhibitions as The Kenneth E. Behring Family Hall of Mammals and the African Elephant in our museum's rotunda. We also support public education by maintaining several databases relevant to mammals.
Featured Online Lecture
Trying Leviathan - the nineteenth-century New York case that put the whale on trial and challenged the order of nature. This fascinating lecture was presented by Dr. D. Graham Burnett at the National Museum of Natural History on May 28, 2008.