Museum: Natural History: Biology Collections: Animals

The vertebrate and invertebrate collections housed at the Point Reyes collections facility number over 9,200 and are maintained by museum staff for the purpose of research, education, and interpretation. These specimens represent animal species within the park's boundaries, some of which are listed as threatened or endangered. To provide greater access to researchers, other biology specimens cataloged to NPS are housed at various non-federal repositories. Access to collections at the Point Reyes facility is by appointment only.

Vertebrate Collection

The vertebrate collection at the Point Reyes collections facility contains land and marine mammals; birds; reptiles and amphibians; and fish. These specimens are represented by study skins; skins; cranial and post-cranial skeletal elements (skulls and bones); and some biofluids and scat.

 

 

Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fish

There are 14 species of reptiles and 10 species of amphibians living within the boundaries of Point Reyes National Seashore. The streams, lakes, intertidal zones, and ocean of the park provide habitats for over 130 fish species. Point Reyes National Seashore protects a portion of the watershed necessary to ensure the safe migration and spawning of coho salmon and steelhead trout. The museum maintains a small collection of reptile, amphibian, and fish specimens at the Point Reyes collection facility. Other Point Reyes NPS specimens from these categories are housed at non-federal repositories to provide greater access for researchers.

 

 

Invertebrate Collection

The terrestrial and aquatic invertebrate collections contain well over 6,000 specimens housed at the Point Reyes National Seashore collections facility and non-federal repositories.

• Point Reyes has a large variety of habitats home to diverse species of terrestrial invertebrates (insects and spiders). Some are threatened or endangered. A collection of 1255 insects (over 100 genera) collected at Abbotts Lagoon are stored at the College of Marin and cataloged in the Point Reyes National Seashore Museum biology collection.
• Intertidal habitats at Point Reyes National Seashore are home to diverse species of aquatic invertebrates, including crustaceans and mollusks. There are 236 known intertidal invertebrate species within park boundaries. At present, very few of these are represented in the museum's collections.

All researchers wishing to collect, document collections and conduct other associated collecting activities must possess an approved collecting permit. If you would like to apply for a scientific collecting permit at Point Reyes National Seashore, please visit the Integrated Resources Management Applications (IRMA) Portal website to start the process.