The zoological collections contain over 10 000 vertebrates and 14 000 invertebrate specimens. On exhibit are an impressive two-meter-long Japanese spider crab, a spectacular skeleton of a Minke whale and the Abe Levine collection of shells which features such rarities as the small but valuable Golden Cowrie. Exhibits in the Dawson Gallery showcase the Biodiversity of Quebec, from the boreal forest to urban backyards, endangered mammal species, such as the lion, gorilla and wolf, extinct bird species such as the Passenger pigeon and invasive invertebrates such as Zebra mussels.
Electronic catalogues
Excel versions of some of the electronic catalogues are available here for each division. This page is still under construction since we are still in the process of updating the catalogues.
Mammalogy
Ornithology
Herpetology
Ichthyology
Invertebrate Zoology
Conchology
Mammals
The collection of mammal skins and skulls is particularly rich in small mammals from Quebec and eastern Canada and also contains specimens of almost all orders of mammals. It includes bones of extinct species such as Steller's rhytine (Hydromalis gigas), extinct in 1768.
Image by Alex Tran, alextranphotography.com.
Zoology Collection
Birds
The Ornithological collection numbers approximately 1500 specimens; it contains representatives of 25 of the 27 orders of birds. The collection of older, mounted birds came from the Natural History Society of Montreal when its museum closed in 1926. The collection possesses specimens of several extinct species, a mount of an immature male labrador Duck (Captorhynchus labradorius), a Carolina Parakeet (Cornuropsis carolinensis), isolated bones of the Dodo (Raphus cucullatus), and several endangered species, including the Eskimo Curlew (Nmenilus borealis).
Reptiles & Amphibians
The Herpetology Collection is worldwide in scope with an emphasis on amphibians from Canada, the Caribbean, and New Zealand. It has an extensive frozen collection of preserved tissues for genetic research.
Fish
The fish collection consists of both adult (approximately 1100 lots) and larval (approximately 400 lots) forms. The saltwater fishes are chiefly from the Caribbean, the Indo-Pacific and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The freshwater species originate mainly from the Great Lakes and Lake Memphremagog in southeastern Quebec. The larval fishes are from Barbados and the Gulf and the estuary of the St. Lawrence River.
Invertebrates
All groups except the chelicerates and insects (held in the Lyman Museum of Macdonald campus) are represented in the invertebrate collection. Over 2000 lots of sponges are held, mainly from the Caribbean, as well as a complete survey and collection of Quebec freshwater sponges. Reiswig has assembled the world's largest reference collection of deep sea "glass" sponges, Hexactinellida. This includes samples from type specimens from the major museums as well as material collected from deep-sea submersible expeditions. Among the corals are specimens from all over the world with a strong emphasis on species from the Caribbean, especially near Barbados.
Shells
There are approximately 30 000 lots of molluscs: the museum holds the Carpenter collection (donated 1867), international in scope), the Mickles-Conde Collection (donated 1948, mainly Caribbean and Florida), a Dawson collection (mainly eastern Canada) and the Levine Collection (donated 1995, worldwide).
Land Acknowledgement
McGill University is on land which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabeg nations. We acknowledge and thank the diverse Indigenous peoples whose presence marks this territory on which peoples of the world now gather.
