| Description | The collection contains at least 157 different species (ranging from aardvark to xenopus ) and appears to cover all continents. Mammals are the most frequently represented (52%) and include bears, beavers, badgers, lion, giraffe, elephant and numerous old and new world monkeys and primates (such as macaques, mandrils, sooty mangabeys, loris monkeys, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans). Marine mammals (12%) include various species of whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals and sirenia; fish (9%) include sawfish, mola, gymnotus, shark and barbel; reptiles and amphibians (7%) are represented by at least crocodiles, alligators, caiman, galapagos iguana, turtles and frogs; birds (6%) by a multitude of species including penguin, cassowary, duck, emu, gannet and sparrow. Marsupials (3%) are represented by at least platypus, echidna, wallaby, rat kangaroo, Tasmanian devil and the skull of an extinct thylacine. Invertebrates are poorly represented and there are two known fossils: the tooth and metacarpal of a cave bear and the tooth of what may be an American Mastodon. Of 520 records in the database, the majority describe skeletal material (83%) with a further 10% relating to potted specimens. A group of casts and models accounts for the remaining 7% of the collection. Skulls comprise the majority of the zoology skeletal material, but there are a significant number of full or partial skeletons. Some are articulated (e.g. elephant, gorilla, orang-utan, dolphin, alligator, chimpanzee), whereas others are stored in a disarticulated state (e.g. camel, walrus, oxen). Within the collection are casts or models of a zoological nature, including those of the cranial cavity, lungs, limbs and teeth, as well as possible animal endocranial casts. |
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