Recent vertebrates
The collection brings together specimens from all major groups – from fish, amphibians and reptiles to birds and mammals – and documents the diversity of modern vertebrate species worldwide.
The Recent Vertebrates collection comprises specimens from all major groups of Craniota and Vertebrata and is organised systematically. The sub-collections – Pisces, Herpetology, Ornithology and Mammalia, as well as Embryology – form the basis for research into diversity, development and evolution.
The holdings date back to the early 18th century and originate, amongst other sources, from the collections of the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences and the Royal Kunstkammer. They have been continuously expanded through international networks, expeditions and acquisitions. The geographical coverage is correspondingly global.
Today, the sub-collections are characterised by their high proportion of type specimens, as well as by rare and extinct species. It also preserves objects belonging to eminent researchers such as Marcus E. Bloch (1723–1799), Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859), Peter S. Pallas (1741–1811), Adelbert von Chamisso (1781–1838) and Ernst Mayr (1904–2005).
