Museum of Zoology

COVID-19 and UMMZ Collections In response to the ongoing events associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, suspension of non-essential UMMZ operations has been extended. This includes access to the collections via scientific visits or outgoing loans. Please also do not ship any specimens (gifts, exchange, loan returns, etc.) to the museum at this time. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

microCT Digiting of UMMZ collections The Museum of Zoology got a massive equipment upgrade!!! A new microCT system has delivered to the Research Museums Center (RMC) and will reside adjacent to the #UMMZ collections. The microCT will allow museum researchers the ability to digitize the nearly 15 million zoological specimens, as well as other University of Michigan collections housed at the RMC. Currently, Alison Davis Rabosky, Dan Rabosky, Cody Thompson, and Priscilla Tucker are working on a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, which will digitize ALL vertebrate genera.

Division of Mollusks The Mollusk Division of the Museum of Zoology is a collection of resources for people who conduct research on, or need information about, mollusks. The division contains one of the largest collections of freshwater mollusks in the world. It also has a respectable marine collection, and one of the top collections of land snails in the United States.

Division of Fishes The Division of Fishes of the Museum of Zoology is a research resource and teaching center dedicated to the study of fish evolution, phylogeny, distribution, ecology, and behavior. We have about 3.5 million catalogued specimens available for study. The collections are rich in specimens from the U.S., Mexico, Asia, Japan, the Neotropics, and Africa.

Division of Birds The Bird Division is a collection of resources for people who conduct research on or need information about birds. The research collections, with 215,000 bird specimens, is one of the largest in the world. The Bird Division also houses the expansive library of the Wilson Ornithological Society. The faculty, staff, and students conduct research on the evolutionary histories, behavior, ecology and conservation of a wide variety of birds using museum collections, molecular techniques, and field studies.

Division of Reptiles & Amphibians The Division of Reptiles & Amphibians maintains a collection that is worldwide in scope and presently, contains over 200,000 catalogued lots representing 435,000 individual specimens.

Division of Insects The Insect Division houses a world-class collection with over 4.5 million specimens from all over the globe. An emphasis on specific taxonomic groups has produced outstanding collections of the Acari, Orthoptera, and Odonata, and to a lesser extent, the Homoptera, Coleoptera and Lepidoptera.

Division of Mammals The Mammal Division of the Museum of Zoology was established in 1837, and has grown steadily to its current size, with over 150,000 specimens. An important feature of the mammal collection at the Museum of Zoology is our emphasis on non-traditional specimens; that is, preparations that go beyond or replace the traditional skin and skull.

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Research Feature

A University of Michigan EEB led team documented 15 rare predator-prey interactions in the Amazon rainforest including images and video of a dinner plate-size tarantula dragging a young opossum.

Warning to arachnophobes: The video below is the stuff of nightmares!

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Please Note: The Museum of Zoology is a research facility. It is not usually open to the public. Please refer to the Museum of Natural History website if you wish to visit.

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Recent News

Stormy yet beautiful photo captures win for a rough 2020

Museum scientists: Prepare for next pandemic now by preserving animal specimens in natural history collections

Research Feature

A University of Michigan EEB led team documented 15 rare predator-prey interactions in the Amazon rainforest including images and video of a dinner plate-size tarantula dragging a young opossum.

Events