The museum online collection database search

The national natural history collections at the museum comprise over 6 million specimens representing ca. 12 million animals and plants, of which over 600,000 are digitized. The digitized specimens represent primarily ca. 1 million vertebrates and some of the invertebrates, and this digitized database is open to the public.

The collections database includes data on the time and place of collecting, the collector’s name, and additional environmental and geographic information. Every year ca. 30,000 new specimens are added to the database. The on-line data are open to the public, used for scientific research, and updated every 6 months.

The museum’s digital database was established over 40 years ago, led by Dr. Menachem Goren, and was among the first of its kind. Over the years, with technological development, it underwent many changes. Recently it was transferred to a new system, which also supports collections management.

Many of the digitized specimens are found in the online collection database. If the specimens you are interested in do not appear in the online database, you are welcome to contact us for further information.