Mammalia
This sub-collection comprises around 150,000 specimens and documents the diversity of modern mammals worldwide – ranging from extensive series of common species to rare and extinct forms.
Overview
The Mammalia (mammals) sub-collection comprises around 150,000 specimens and more than 2,000 type specimens. It is one of the world’s largest collections of extant mammals and represents all 29 orders of mammals.
The holdings range from extensive series of native small mammals to individual specimens of rare primate species and extinct species such as the thylacine. A geographical focus lies on the former German colonial territories on the African continent.
Around 20,000 specimens are preserved in alcohol. Other items are stored separately as skins, skulls or skeletons, with the skull collection forming the largest part. The sub-collection is supplemented by holdings from the biobank (DNA and tissue collection).
Access
The sub-collection is available to researchers upon prior request to the collections management team.
A specialist library containing literature on mammalogy, monographs and offprints complements the work on the specimens.
A key focus of current work is the systematic recording and processing of the holdings. A large proportion of the objects has already been registered in a database, and further items are being digitally catalogued on an ongoing basis. In the future, this data is also intended to be made available online.
As part of the museum’s evolution, key holdings from the sub-collection will be accessible during public guided tours from August 2026. The Mammal Skulls Hall, as a historical exhibition space, and the Deer & Antlered Animals Hall, as a research collection open to the public, are complemented by exhibition media whose content has been developed collaboratively with co-curators from African countries.
History
The origins of the sub-collection date back to the early 18th century and include items from the Natural History Cabinet of the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences and the Royal Kunstkammer.
A large part of the collection was assembled in the late 19th and early 20th centuries through extensive expeditions and systematic collection programmes. During this period, interest in geographical variation and biogeography grew, leading to the compilation of large series of specimens. Until the 1920s, the focus was on the description of new species, which resulted in a large number of type specimens.
Important contributions were made by, among others, Alfred Nehring (1845–1904) and Paul Matschie (1861–1926). Notable expeditions included those led by Wilhelm Peters (1815–1883) to Mozambique, Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg (1873–1969) to Central Africa, and Ernst Schäfer (1910–1992) to Tibet.
Research
The sub-collection serves as a basis for taxonomic, evolutionary and biogeographical research. In particular, the type specimens and extensive series enable comparisons within and between species, as well as the study of geographical variation.
The sub-collection is also used for genetic analyses, as it is supplemented by a DNA and tissue collection. Digital collection data supports scientific work and is continuously expanded.