Field/Online Collection(s):

-Botany, Entomology , Herpetology , Ichthyology , Invertebrates (Non-Insect), Malacology, Mammalogy, Meteorites & Planetary Science, Mineralogy, Mycology , Ornithology, Paleontology (Vertebrate), Paleontology (Invertebrate), Paleobotany, Phycology.

 This is the home of three (3) integrated museums which go back to Danish Royal collections from the 17th and 18th Century, but most material has been acquired during the 19th and the 20th Century. The museums serve both as reference & research centres and as public museums, and their names are as follows:

• The Botanical Museum (and Library) holds collections of c. 2,325,000 specimens separated into 9 different herbaria:
  • The General Herbarium of Vascular Plants (1,155,000 specimens) consists of collections from all over the world and from almost all families. It is estimated that 11,300 of the worlds known 14,000 genera are represented. It holds an estimated 25,000 type-specimens under registration. The herbarium is especially rich in material from the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greece, Spain, Macaronesia, Africa, SE-Asia, Mexico, W.-Indies, Central America and South America.
  • The Herbarium of Danish Vascular Plants (230,000 specimens) consists of collections from all parts of Denmark from the 18th century up to now. It includes at least 1500 species and is the largest collection of Danish plants. Many of the specimens depicted in Flora Danica are kept in this collection. Additionally, the herbarium comprises the file of the Topographical-Botanical Investigation of Denmark as well as the unpublished sources of the Botanical Locality Register.
  • The Herbarium of Greenlandic Vascular Plants (174,000 specimens) consists of collections from all parts of Greenland from the 17th century up to now. It includes about 515 species and is the largest collection of Greenlandic plants in the world.
  • The Herbarium of Bryophytes (314,000 specimens) consists of collections of all taxonomical groups and from all parts of the world. It holds the largest collections of Danish (c. 700 species) and Greenlandic (c. 600 species) bryophytes.
  • The Herbarium of Algae (133,000 specimens) consists of collections of all taxonomical groups of algae from all parts of the world. It holds the largest collections of Danish algae, and has important collections from Greenland, Iceland, the Canary Islands, the Faroe Islands, the West Indies and Scnadinavia.
  • The Herbarium of Fungi (139,000 specimens) consists of non-lichenized fungi from all taxonomical groups and from all parts of the world. It holds the largest collections of Danish (c. 5000 species) and Greenlandic (c. 1500 species) fungi.
  • The Herbarium of Lichens (220,000) consists of lichenized fungi from all taxonomical groups and from all over the world. It holds the largest collections of Danish (c. 900 species) and Greenlandic (c. 950 species) lichens.
  • The Collection of Useful Plants (1,000 pieces) is maintained for exhibition purposes. And finally,
  • The Collection of Wood Samples (500 samples) is a reference collection.

  An extensive online searchable Botanical Specimen Database is also available.
  

• The Geological Museum has eight (8) major collections as follows:
  
  • The Mineral Collection goes back to the 1772 year and has some 1700 specimens of which some 550 mineral species are exhibited and laid up according to the latest edition of Strunz' "Mineralogische Tabellen" from 1970. The specimens illustrate first and foremost the variety of the mineral world as well as their remarkable nature through various aspects of crystallography.
  • The Petrographic Collection (Rocks) is divided into the following units:
    • A systematic collection of magmatic and metamorphic rocks, principally with European examples.
    • A reference collection illustrating the geology in areas with magmatic and metamorphic rocks; including
        1) collections from Denmark (especially Bornholm), the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland, collected during the more than 200 years the museum has existed. Many of these collections are of considerable interest because of their history; and
        2) collections illustrating the conditions in other regions where the research has been of special importance to the understanding of the magmatic and metamorphic processes.
    • A documentation (original) collection with magmatic and metamorphic rocks, mainly from Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The material has formed the basis of scientific research papers published by Danish and foreign scientists. An important part of the collection is the material, deposited by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland according to an agreement between the institutions.
  • The Dynamic-Geological Collection comprises specimens representing exogenous as well as endogenous geology: volcanism, metamorphosis, diagenesis, weathering, tectonic deformation, etc.
  • The Meteorite Collection contains the main masses of the four Danish meteorites Mern, Aarhus, Jerslev and Felsted as well as several of the large iron meteorites from the Cape York swarm from Thule in Greenland. The most remarkable specimens are the iron meteorites Agpalilik, originally of approximately 20 tons, and Savik 1, originally around 3 tons, both from the Cape York area. The sawn through and etched iron slice of Agpalilik, which is seen in the exhibitions, is the largest of its kind and a unique exhibition specimen in an international perspective. From areas outside Denmark and Greenland the collection contains among others extensive material from the mesosiderite Vaca Muerta from Chile.
  • The Stratigraphical-Phytopalaeontological Collections comprise systematic collections of plant fossils, Quaternary invertebrates and sediments -especially the extensive collections of Quaternary molluscs ranging in age from the Pliocene-Pleistocene and up to the Holocene, from Greenland and other Nordic areas. Also here you will find sedimentary rocks from areas outside Denmark andGreenland.
  • The Collection of Invertebrates is under the supervision of Dr. Walter Kegel Christensen. His Email address is: wkc@savik.geomus.ku.dk
  • The Collection of Invertebrate and Plant Type Palaeontological Collection - The Type Collection, is a depository of scientifically described and figured fossil invertebrates and plant specimens from Denmark and Greenland. About 22,000 specimens are registrated in the Type Collection which includes rich invertebrate collections of fossils from the Danish Cretaceous, Tertiary and Quaternary deposits, and many specimens from the Mesozoic and Palaeozoic exposures on Bornholm, together with well preserved specimens of cephalopods, plant fossils and rich Palaeozoic material from Greenland.
  • The Collection of Vertebrate Palaeontology comprises about 25.000 specimens (and, in addition, several thousands of vertebrate micro fossils) representing all vertebrate groups from the Ordovician to the Pleistocene. The main part is, however, constituted by fishes from the Middle and Upper Devonian, the Marine Upper Permian and early Triassic. Included are placoderms, acanthodians, elasmobranchs, actinopterygians, dipnoans, porolepiformes, osteolepiformes and coelacanthiformes. The material of these groups derives mainly from deposits in East Greenland and Europe, while agnathan material includes specimens from, among others, Silurian deposits in North Greenland. The collection possesses, however, also the world's first discovered late Devonian tetrapods, i.e., the celebrated Ichthyostegids and Acanthostegids, deriving from localities in East Greenland. Furthermore, the collection includes an extensive number of early Tertiary (Upper Paleocene) vertebrates, mostly actinopterygians but also partial bird skeletons from the Mo-clay of Denmark whose marine Oligocene and Miocene deposits have yielded well preserved whale material, including articulated skeleton parts, likewise housed in the collection.Finally, the collection includes a large material of casts which serve as demonstration objects in the Geological Museum's public exhibitions on topics like "Dinosaurs" and "The origin of Man".
    
    
• The Zoological Museum is an institute of the Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen and is organized in three (3) departments:
  • The Department of Vertebrates and Quaternary Zoology is primarily focused on the study of fish, reptiles, birds and mammals. The birds and the mammals are well known and in consequence the research is concentrated on phylogeny, zoogeography and general biology (especially ecological and behavioural aspects). With respect to fish and reptiles, the research also focuses on phylogeny and zoogeography, but it is mainly concentrated on generic revisions, including the description of new taxa. In addition the Department has a section dealing with the evolution and distribution of vertebrates in Denmark and Greenland during the Quaternary; this includes the early history of the domesticated animals. The division also has a section managing the ringing of birds in Denmark, Greenland, and The Faroe Islands.
       The Department's principal sections are as follows:
    • The Ichthyology Section which holds about one third of the 25,000 known fish species. Both fresh and saltwater fish species from all over the world are represented.
    • The Herpetology Section which possesses reptiles and amphibians from Denmark and the rest of Europe. From the earlier settlements on the Coast of Guinea, the Museum possesses a small, but very fine collection of snakes, among others the spitting cobra, Naja nigricollis, anuran amphibians, East African tree frogs, and other representative collections of reptiles and amphibians.
    • The Ornithological Section which comprises study skins, altogether some 110,000 specimens of some 7,000 species. This collection is arranged in systematic order and with a geographical subdivision within individual species (Denmark, the North Atlantic dependencies Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland, Scandinavia and other geographical areas). The collection contains some notable rarities such as: a dodo (Didus ineptus) skull and considerable subfossil material of dodo and solitaire; two mounted specimens, an egg, soft parts (in spirit) and some skeletal material of great auk (Pinguinus impennis), the only known female of the crested shelduck (Tadorna cristata) and some 30 type specimens.
    • The Mammal Section which holds collections of some 40,000 specimens - preserved either as skins + skulls (or whole skeletons), mounted specimens, or whole specimens or parts in alcohol or formalin. The particular strengths in these collections are in
       *Danish mammals --with special mention the very large series of Danish bats (some 3,500 specimens), rodents, harbour porpoises, badgers, and others;
       *Greenland mammals --terrestrical (with exceptionally large series of polar bear, reindeer, musk ox, whalrus, narwhal) as well as marine (most notable famous collection of whale skeletons with a good taxonomic representation, containing many specimens from the last century).
    • The Quaternary Zoology Section which keeps collections of Late Pleistocene and Holocene vertebrates from Denmark, Greenland and South America. The Late Pleistocene (last interglacial-glacial cycle) collection from Denmark and Greenland consists of mammalian bone remains found redeposited in glacial sediments. The largest and most important fossil assemblage is, however, the Late Weichselian and Holocene bones of mammals, birds, fishes and a few reptiles and amphibians. These vertebrate bones are found in situ in geological as well as archaeological context. The archaeozoological material represents an almost complete record of all bone materials excavated on archaeological sites in Denmark and Greenland, chronologically distributed from Late Palaeolithic to Historical Time and from Palaeoeskimo to the Norse Cultures.
    • The Copenhagen Bird Ringing Centre is the Bird Ringing Data Collection of the Zoological Museum which comprises data from Denmark as well as the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The Collection consists of ringing data for some 2.5 million birds as well as information on some 150,000 recoveries. The annual number of ringed birds varies between 100,000 and 120,000. While the ringing data are still manually recorded, the main part of the recoveries are stored in a computer database.
       
  • The Department of Invertebrates (excluding insects, myriapods and arachnids) has focused its research primarily on the study of marine invertebrates. (This is mainly due to the history of the Danish Kingdom, its navy, its overseas trading activity and its past interest in colonies.) The most important parts of the collections are the type collections, and its cataloguing is still going on. The collection holds many types from the late 18th century and early 19th century as follows:
    • -the Protozoa section is a rather complete collection of Xenophyophora and other types such as the Foraminifer collection.
      -the Porifera collection centers on the North Atlantic, deep-sea worldwide, and Antarctica.
      -the Cnidaria section includes the Hydromedusae collection whose coverage is worldwide. The Hydropolyp collection is very representative for the North Atlantic, and this is the case also for both main groups of Anthozoa.
      -the Platyhelminthes, Aschelminthes, and Proarthropods section is reflective of the Zoological Museum long history in the study of "Lower Worms" (Platyhelminthes, Nemertina and Aschelminthes) and the so-called Proarthropods (Tardigrada, Onychophora and Pentastomida).
      - the "Vermes" (phyla consisting primarily of macrofauna) section houses the collections of five phyla: Annelida (including Pogonophora and thus also Vestimentifera), Echiura, Sipuncula, Priapula, and Chaetognatha. Among them, emphasis in collection and research has historically been placed on the polychaetous annelids.
      -the Collection of Mollusks is one of the more important of the large, old collections in Europe, going back to King Frederik III's "Kunstkammer" from the 1650's.
      -the Crustacea Collection holds one of the largest and historically most important collections of Crustacea held anywhere in the world. The collection dates back to the immediate post Linnaean period.
      -the Entoprocta section contains material from Scandinavia and Florida (USA), including a number of types of the family Loxosomatidae.
      -the Ectoprocta = Bryozoa Collection contains large material from all over the world; about two thirds are in alcohol, the rest is dry.
      - the rather small collections from Phoronida, Pterobranchia, Enteropneusta, Larvacea sections.
      -the Urochordata section containing a large collection with material from many expeditions, including many types.
      -the Thaliacea and Ascidiacea sections containing large collections from a number of expeditions.
      -the large Echinoderm Collection is one of the three largest collections in the world. It contains some 3731 identified species of the known recent ca. 6300 species in the world, including 613 holotypes and a large number of paratypes. The collection consists of dry and wet specimens, a large number of slides (holothurian ossicles, echinoid and asteroid pedicellariae, larvae and histological sections of a number of echinoderms). The Echinoderm Collection is one of the most valuable documentary collections in the world.
  • Department of Entomology. has collections that include insects and other terrestrial arthropods: myriapods and arachnids (but not terrestrial crustaceans). The collections include more than 3 million pinned insects plus a similar number of alcohol-preserved specimens; they thus range among the largest in Europe. All regions of the World are covered, but some areas are particularly well-represented. This is true of Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Greenland for all groups; of the Philippine and Bismarck Islands for most insects groups; and of further geographical areas for particular groups as specified below. Important acquisitions are due to recent collecting efforts by staff members in Denmark, Greenland, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Tunisia, Morocco, South India, Thailand, Tanzania and southern Argentina/Chile. A large proportion of the holdings (in particular but not exclusively Danish Lepidoptera and Coleoptera) derive from amateurs' collections which have been donated to the Museum. The number of identified species in the collections totals about 100,000, i.e., about 10% of the described species. There are about 10,500 primary types.

   

In addition to all this, there is an Exhibition Department (which was opened in 1970) which is responsible for the permanent and temporary exhibitions, the public education programs and the school service. Currently there are three (3) permanent public exhibitions: "Animals of Denmark", "From Pole to Pole" and "The Ocean Hall". Also, there is a temporary exhibition of animals and their skeletons, to be replaced by an exhibition of "fabulous" animals.

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DENMARK: