Zoology

The Brain Coral

The Zoology Collections at the Hunterian Museum represent most of the major groups of animals but with particular strength in the insects. Of the 600,000 specimens, 90% are insects. The historical core of the collection is William Hunter’s natural history material of which shells, insects and corals survive today. Important additions to entomology were made by the acquisition of the extensive JJFX King (1923) and T.G. Bishop (1933) collections. University staff in the Department of Zoology added significant material in the areas of economic, medical and regional (Scottish) entomology.

Outwith the entomology collections, and reflecting its growth as a University teaching and reference collection, there is broad coverage of the animal kingdom with good mammalian osteology and a spirit collection of several thousand specimens representing mainly invertebrates and the lower vertebrates. Other notable study collections include John Graham Kerr’s South American lungfish, local Mollusca, Himalayan bird skins and the Hansell collection of animal artefacts (bird and insect nests and other constructions).