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Collection

One of the world's top five natural history collections

Millions
of objects

In nearly 200 years, the Naturalis collection – the Dutch national collection – has grown to over 40 million plants, animals, fossils and rocks. This tremendous amount of objects from nature serves as the foundation for research on global biodiversity and geology. See Naturalis Topstukken (Dutch) for a look at the most remarkable pieces in the collection.

To access our collection and the library at any time, just use the Naturalis online portals.

BioPortal
Library

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Foundation
for research

Collections such as the one held by Naturalis help scientists study, organize and understand nature worldwide. Natural history collections provide an essential infrastructure for scientific research. Biologic and geologic objects act as a crucial starting point for research that contributes to solutions for current issues such as climate change and species extinction.

Collection
and preservation

The Naturalis collection is divided into categories: botany, geology, vertebrates, invertebrates, entomology, books and species catalogs. We also have an extensive library. One of our institute's core activities is digitizing the collection. By collecting and preserving objects, we have obtained one of the largest natural history collections in the world. By leading the way in collaborative projects aimed at providing digital access, we achieve a single biodiversity collection that spans the globe. In addition, we make it possible to consult the collection data for scientific research, societal purposes and public presentations.

Our
services

Access to a wide range of (digital) literature in the field of biodiversity.
Library

Do you, as a researcher, want to borrow a collection object from Naturalis?
Loan office

Bibliotheek

Access
to the collection

Temporarily limited access while we are under construction

Naturalis will move into a modernized building with brand-new collection facilities in the summer of 2019. Until then, only a limited number of collections are open to visitors. However, it is possible to borrow collection objects. The library on Nieuwenhuizenweg is also open by appointment. For questions about the collection, you can contact us by email at collectie@naturalis.nl.

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Collectie

Online access
to our collection en collection data

Are you  a species specialist working to make taxonomic knowledge and type information available online? Please consider the software-as-a-service package Linnaeus.
Linnaeus

As a researcher or collection manager, you can quickly browse the Naturalis digital collection.
BioPortal 

For software developers or bio-computer scientists, we built an API to provide access the digital collection information from Naturalis.
Netherlands Biodiversity API/Data Services