Museum of Vertebrates

The Museum of Vertebrates, maintained by the UW Zoology/Physiology Department, contains approximately 10,000 specimens of birds, mammals, fish and amphibians - many of which were sourced from Wyoming.  Why do we keep a vertebrate collection?  Specimens contain a lot of information and when and where the specimen was collected, and also provides information about its weight, size and more.  By examining this information and looking for differences and similarities between specimens over time, researchers can better understand regional and global biodiversity, evolution, ecology and conservation.

     >>Click here for more information about the Museum of Vertebrates.

How you can get involved:

• Take a tour which includes the Vertebrate Collection, and learn how museums are useful in many, many ways!
• Salvaged specimens: Turn in dead birds in good condition (killed by cars, cats, etc.) to be installed in the collection.  Record the date and location where the bird was found, and include your name and contact information.  Keep it frozen in a plastic bag until you can bring it to the Berry Center.  Be sure to contact Matt Carling (mcarling@uwyo.edu) ASAP to avoid violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which protects nearly all non-game birds in North America.
• Museum in a box: boxes containing samples of organisms commonly found in Wyoming will be available for shipment to classrooms in August 2012.  These boxes will highlight the amazing biodiversity of mammals and birds in our state, and the remarkable adaptations they use to survive.
• Digital collection information: The information for each specimen of the Vertebrate Collection will be digitized during 2012 and will be available for classroom use and analysis at that point.

Outcomes include:

• Students will learn what a vertebrate is and the broad diversity of vertebrates in Wyoming and around the world.

• Hands-on and interactive education for enhanced memory and interest in the topic.

• Improved understanding of characteristics of a species (why porcupines have quills, why prairie chickens have orange visible air sacs, why trout have speckles) and how that connects to its environment or life history.

Get Started:

Contact the Biodiversity Institute at 307-766-6240 or biodiversity@uwyo.edu to discuss with Dorothy Tuthill, Associate Director, what your class can do this school year!

Need more context?  Click here and here to view posters outlining the program and offering suggestions, and a handy postcard summarizing the idea.  Contact Dr. Dorothy with any questions or to get your class involved.

>>Provide feedback on this and other programs the Biodiversity Institute offers.