logo featuring a bird, lizard, snake, and coyote with blue and yellow triangles emulating a spartan helmet plume

Preserving the Past For the Future

Our natural history collection contains over 6,000 specimens of birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Digitization efforts, led by collection managers and students, are underway to support open-source biodiversity research. These specimens, some dating back to the late 1800s—before the publication of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species—play a vital role in facilitating student research and supporting ecology and evolution courses at San Jose State.

See California's amazing biodiversity for yourself

An owl and a plush octopus taken from Instagram posts

Follow our journey as we digitize our diverse collection and explore the incredible biodiversity of California and abroad. Each week, we share captivating photos and stories of our specimens, spotlighting ongoing research, classroom activities, and fun animal-themed holidays throughout the year.

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a pallid bat displayed for museum curation with tags and collection inormation
A pallid bat (Antrozous pallidus) displayed for digital imaging. This specimen was collected in 1938 in Alum Rock Park here in Santa Clara County.

We are making significant progress in digitizing every biological specimen in our collection. Each specimen, along with its handwritten records, is being photographed and transcribed into open-source online databases. This effort will make thousands of specimens at SJSU accessible to researchers worldwide, advancing ecological and conservation studies.