The Biological Science Division is a major resource center for the public and for scholars. The mission of the Biological Science Division is to acquire, conserve, investigate, and interpret the natural heritage of California and southwestern North America. Through research, collections, education, and public exhibits, the Biological Science Division serves the state, national, and international sciences programs.
Biological Science holds approximately 198,000 biological specimens in entomology, herpetology, ornithology, mammal, and botany. The collections are strong in species native to western North America, although some collections contain specimens from Asia and Central America. The division is in the process of cataloging all specimen records in a computer database.
Entomology
The Entomology collection holds over 25,000 specimens, primarily insects. This collection is representative of San Bernardino County and Southern California, with some specimens from the western United States. The collection is under the care of Eugene A. Cardiff, Emeritus Curator.
The Alexander Sokoloff Collection includes:
- Tribolium Information Bulletin - complete collection
- Biology of Tribolium - all volumes
- Mutant Type Specimens for Tribolium sp.
- Reprints of Alexander Sokoloff literature publications
Herpetology
The Herpetology collection holds approximately 9,000 native reptiles and amphibians (dry and fluid-preserved whole specimens), principally from the southwestern United States, and a small collection of exotic reptiles from various parts of the world.
Ornithology
The Ornithology collection holds approximately 148,000 bird skins, bird eggs, live mounts, and osteological specimens. The bird egg collection is the fifth largest in the world. It was amassed mostly between 1910 and 1940 by Wilson C. Hanna, an oologist (collector of bird eggs) and a loose army of private collectors , with a handful of practitioners persisting until 1960. The collection has world-wide components. Eugene A. Cardiff, Emeritus Curator of Biological Science Division was instrumental in developing, and curating this significant collection into the 1990s.
The bird skin research collection holdings are approximately 48,000 with material from throughout North America with a major portion of the collection representing western North America. The Biological Science division also maintains more than 1000 live mount birds.
Mammalogy Section
The Mammal collections holds approximately 500 specimens representative of San Bernardino County and Southern California, with some specimens from western United States.
Botany
The herbarium houses nearly 10,000 specimens of native plants of the southwestern United States, primarily southern California. The collection consists mainly of vascular plants.
Contact: (909) 798-8601
