Our Collections

Digital Collections

Gilles O. Allard Economic Geology collection

Welcome to the Gilles O. Allard Economic Geology collection, part of the University of Georgia Museum of Natural History holdings. The Allard Collection was donated to the museum in 1992 by Gilles Allard, and curation has been ongoing since then. The collection contains sample suites from over 750 mines on six continents, including many world-class systems. As pointed out by Peter Laznicka in the April 2004 SEG Newsletter, literally thousands of world class mineral deposits are now inaccessible, such that the only remaining samples from these systems are those which have been collected and curated by those of us who have visited these mines.

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Zooarchaeology Collection

The Zooarchaeology Laboratory maintains a reference collection of over 5,100 skeletal specimens of fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. These specimens are used to identify animal remains from archaeological and paleontological sites. The Collection has provided numerous identifications for museums, universities, and government agencies throughout the Southeast as well as the Caribbean and South America. This is one of very few resources in the southeast that can provide scientists with post-cranial skeleton reference materials. 

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Physical Collections

Anthropology Collection

The Archaeology Laboratory houses over 3 million artifacts and specimens covering 12,000 years of human settlement in Georgia and the southeast. Stone tools, plant and skeletal remains make up approximately 40% of the collection. Pottery, in the form of sherds and restored vessels make up the remainder. This collection is the most comprehensive in the State and is one of the largest and most important in the Southeast. In addition to artifacts, the collection maintains extensive data files and records, including the largest and most complete archaeological site inventory in the state. The Georgia Archaeological Site Files are associated with this collection. 

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UGA Collections of Arthropods

The UGCA includes more than 2,025,000 pinned specimens.  In addition the collection houses significant alcohol-preserved and slide-mounted collections.  Approximately 60% of the holdings are from the southeastern United States as is consistent with our mission to serve as the primary systematics reference for the state.  More than 70% of that regional material is identified to the species level.

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The UGA Herbarium

The University of Georgia Herbarium was founded in the 1920s, and is one of the largest herbaria in the southeastern United States with over 270,000 sheets of vascular plants from around the world. The emphasis of the collection is on plants from the Southeastern U.S., particularly those from Georgia. It is located within the Plant Biology Department in the Miller Plant Sciences Building. 

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Herpetology Collection

The Herpetology Collection contains over 46,000 reptile and amphibian specimens and is particularly strong in the species of the southeastern United States. Organization of the collection began in 1940. The collection is the repository for specimens associated with published new county records. The collection contains excellent series of most southeastern species, including endangered, threatened, and rare species. 

 

Ichthyology Collection

The D. C. Scott Ichthyology Collection contains over one-million alcohol-preserved specimens representing over 825 different species from approximately 100 families. The collection was begun in the 1940s by Donald C. Scott and, therefore, is of major historical importance. The collection contains an excellent series of the freshwater fishes of the southeastern United States, many of which are now endangered, threatened, or rare.

Invertebrate Collection

The Grace Thomas Invertebrate Collections include over 10,000 freshwater mussels, a tremendous amount of diversity from Gray's Reef, and a growing number of catalogued (non-insect) invertebrates. Many of the specimens in the Grace Thomas Invertebrate Collections are extinct, endangered, or threatened - fortunately many newer specimens are accessible for genomic work.

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Mammalogy Collection

The Joshua Laerm Mammalogy Collection contains 25,000 specimens including study skins, skeletal material, and alcohol preserved materials. It was organized in the early 1940s by Eugene P. Odum and his students. This is one of a select group of mammal collections accredited (1985) by the American Society of Mammalogists. There are specimens in the collection that date back to the early 1900's thus providing an historical view of the mammals of the state. The strength of the collection is in mammals of the southeastern United States.

Mycology Collection

This collection is an internationally recognized facility (GAM) housing over 30,000 specimens of fungi from throughout Georgia and the Southeast, as well as other areas of the world. The collection is particularly rich in ascomycetes of Georgia and the tropical Americas. It serves as an official repository for major U.S. Department of Agriculture regional research projects. It is one of the few significant systematic mycological herbaria in the country. The herbarium also contains an extensive library of references and reprints.

Ornithology Collection

The Ornithology Collection contains 5,650 specimens most of which are study skins. In addition there are 800 bird egg clutches. This collection was organized in the early 1940's by Eugene P. Odum and his students. Many of the collection specimens are from previously rural, now largely urban areas of Georgia. On an international scale, the collection includes a small group of specimens from Central America collected from areas under siege due to devastation of rain forests. We also hold rare bird eggs from around the world, including several extremely fine collections that were previously privately owned. Some of the specimens were collected in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.