Science

Biological Collections

The Mississippi Museum of Natural Science biological collections originated in 1936, and currently consist of more than 1,000,000 specimens, representing the largest single reference for Mississippi vertebrate animals, freshwater invertebrates, and fossil vertebrates and invertebrates in existence. The collections also contain plant specimens, including rare plants and plants collected from bog, prairie, and savanna habitats of Mississippi. These specimens have been collected by agency personnel, non-agency researchers, and the general public in an ongoing effort to document the diversity, geographic distribution, and ecology of both extant and extinct organisms, as well as the conservation status of living plants and animals in Mississippi. Today, these specimens and specimen related data are used to provide biological information to resource managers, conservation biologists, researchers, educators, and the general public.

 

Additional Information

• History of Collections
• Value of Collections
• Search Collections
• Amphibians & Reptiles
• Birds
• Fishes
• Paleontology
• Freshwater Invertebrates
• Mammals
• Insects
• Plants
• Bioacoustics

LOAN POLICY

Loan Policy

Mississippi Museum of Natural Science 

Please read carefully before signing Invoice of Specimens form.

A. INCOMING LOANS

Incoming loans will be accepted only for objects needed for research, special exhibits, or programs.  Objects may be borrowed from private collectors, individuals, corporations, and private and public institutions.  All loans except those accepted for temporary custody of less than one (1) year, and loans for special exhibits containing no cataloged museum objects must be approved by the Research and Collections Coordinator or Assistant Director and shall not exceed three (3) years.  No indefinite loans may be made to the museum without the approval of the Museum Director.  Long-term loans for exhibits or research must be approved by the Research and Collections Coordinator or Assistant Director and shall not exceed five (5) years.  At the end of five (5) years these loans may be renewed by resubmission to the Research and Collections Coordinator or Assistant Director with strong justification for the request and approval of the lender.  No repairs, alterations or conservation treatment of loaned objects shall be undertaken without properly documented permission of the lender.

 

B. OUTGOING LOANS

Outgoing loans are to be made for non-profit educational and scholarly purposes, specimen preparation, and specimen repair.  Borrowers must be able to provide full-time professional care for the objects.  Objects loaned for graduate student use may be loaned to the student’s major professor, or another full-time faculty member at the institution.  Objects may not be loaned to individuals for personal use.  Objects must be in a stable condition unless the purpose of the loan is to conserve the item.  The borrower must use conservation methods approved by the Collections Manager, Curator, or Research and Collections Coordinator.  Objects must be able to withstand transit, climate changes, and handling.

 

C. AUTHORITY

All incoming loans, except for temporary custody and special exhibits containing no cataloged museum objects, must be approved by the Research and Collections Coordinator.  Temporary custody loans may be approved by Curators or the Collections Manager.  All outgoing loans must be approved by the Curator of that collection, the Collections Manager, or the Research and Collections Coordinator and are subject to review by the Museum Director.