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The Division of Vertebrate Zoology encompasses the Departments of Herpetology, Ichthyology, Mammalogy, and Ornithology.
Department of Herpetology
Herpetologists in the Museum's Department of Herpetology document the diversity and evolutionary history of amphibians and reptiles, and work in related aspects of comparative anatomy, behavior, conservation, and genetics, and philosophy and methods of science. The vast collections they maintain are available for loan to scientific institutions and include preserved specimens, skeletons, and reocordings of frog calls, among other items. The Department also carries out an active program of worldwide fieldwork. Continue to department site >
Department of Ichthyology
Ichthyologyists in the Museum's Department of Ichthyology work to document the diversity of fish and to reconstruct their evolutionary history. They study comparative anatomy and behavior, conservation, and scientific methods. The vast collections they maintain serve as a resource for their own work and as a library of biodiversity from which material is lent to scientific institutions around the world. In addition, active fieldwork takes curators to all corners of the earth. Continue to department site >
Department of Mammalogy
The scientific investigation of mammals has been integral to the Museum since its founding in 1869. Today, much of the research conducted by the Department of Mammalogy focuses on the relationships of mammals to one another, how mammals are distributed across the world, and how their diversity has been critically affected by humans. Laboratory and field research is worldwide, and is supported by collections of more than 260,000 specimens. Continue to department site >
Department of Ornithology
The Department of Ornithology maintains the world's largest collection of birds, with 99% of living species represented by skins, skeletons, nests, eggs, or anatomical preparations. Researchers in the Department investigate the evolution, biogeography, systematics, and classification of birds throughout the world. This entails field expeditions as well as morphological and molecular studies undertaken in the Museum's laboratories. Continue to department site >