Entomology
The insect collection is Naturalis' largest collection, with an estimated 18 million insects.
Vertebrates
'Vertebrates' are the animals with bones. At Naturalis we have divided these into four sub-collections: Birds, Mammals, Fish and Reptiles & Amphibians.
Invertebrates
Invertebrates minus the insects. About 13 million specimens, from parasitic worms to centipedes to corals, sponges, shells and much more.
Botany
Our plant collection is enormous: 7.5 million dried plants (all digitized!) and about 275,000 plants or parts of plants in strong water. For historical reasons, the botanical collection also includes mushrooms and lichens, although this is not entirely biologically correct.
Geology
The Naturalis geological collection consists of 3,200,000 fossils and 800,000 rocks and minerals.
Taxidermistsand collectors
Our collection managers are assisted by taxidermists, supplemented by a team of freelancers and volunteers. The Naturalis project ARISE has its own collection, as a reference for all species identification.
