Collections of Naturalis
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Collection

One of the world's largest natural history collections

Millions
of objects

In nearly 200 years,the Dutch national collection at Naturalis has grown to over 43 million objects. All over the world, collections like this one help to understand and study nature: they are the starting point of research that addresses current issues like climate change and biodiversity loss. See Naturalis Topstukken (in Dutch) for a look at the most remarkable pieces in the collection.

Do you want 24/7 access to our collection and library? That is possible through the online Naturalis portals.

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Library

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Sub-
collections

Naturalis has one of the largest natural history collections in the world: spread across dozens of depots are millions of objects, from tiny mosses to dino skeletons.

View our sub-collections

Apollo butterfly

Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera, better known as butterflies, is an order of winged insects that can be divided into 134 families. All of these families are represented in the Naturalis collection, which comprises approximately 4 million butterflies. This collection includes…
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Services
we offer

Researchers can borrow collection objects from Naturalis, visit the Naturalis collection or have access to a wide range of (digital) literature on biodiversity.

Steven in Zoogdieren depot

Collection services

In more than 200 years, Naturalis' national collection has grown to include over 43 million objects from nature, archives, works of art and rare books. Worldwide, collections like ours help study, organise and understand nature. Collections are an…
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Who
works here

Here at Naturalis, tens of people work on collection maintenance, and on making sure it is available for researchers, both physically and online. 

Collection managers and taxidermists

Online access
to our collection and data

Much of our collection is accessible online through various portals. Explore the collection digitally and find valuable information without a physical visit.

Origins
of collections

Our collections that we use for scientific research have been built up over several centuries. The colonial past and the redressing of injustice should receive the attention they deserve. It is therefore a good thing that research is carried out into the provenance of Dutch museum objects that are of cultural, historical or religious importance for their country of origin.

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A collection of butterflies

Collection
collaborations

The Naturalis collection is one of the largest naturalis history collections on the planet. Maintaining it, and making it accessible, is a huge undertaking. 

Stranded whale

Whale strandings: What can we learn from it?

It sometimes happens that a large dead whale washes up on the Dutch coast, or dies in the waters off the coast. Naturalis Biodiversity Center then has the task to assist in salvaging the mammal and to preserve parts of the animal for scientific research…
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Collection staff member in the butterfly collection

CollAction Eliminating backlog

Keeping a collection of 43 million objects in good condition for future generations is a big responsibility. Parts of the collection have fallen into poor condition for various reasons (such as past backlogs, new construction and collection relocations and…
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News
from the collection

Work never stops in our collection. Preparing new animals, scrubbing meteorites and cleaning whale skeletons is just a tiny part of that work.

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Opgezette dunbekwulp
November 18th, 2024

The thin-beak curlew is now officially extinct

Leiden, 18 November 2024 – Birdwatchers had long suspected it, but now it's official: the slender-billed curlew is extinct. This waterbird, once found in Europe, West Asia, and North Africa, can now only be seen in museums.
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Surinamese black rice
October 28th, 2024

Rice DNA tells the unwritten history of Suriname

For centuries, descendants of Africans who escaped from slavery, known as Maroons, have been growing rice in the interior of Suriname and French Guiana. New genetic research combined with ethnobotany by Wageningen University & Research and Naturalis…
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Donating
collection

Do you have a collection or a special item at home and would you like to donate it to Naturalis?

Of course we like that! Unfortunately not all objects are suitable for inclusion in our collection. Naturalis selects on the scientific and aesthetic value of the objects. We only include objects with sufficiently accurate data or that are suitable for use in the exhibition. It is also important that the objects are provided with the correct exemptions. Contact collection@naturalis.nl for more information.

Parasitoid wasp
Calf of tapir

Contact
about the collection

For general questions about Naturalis: info@naturalis.nl

For general questions about the collection: collectie@naturalis.nl

For questions about loaning collection items: uitleenadministratie@naturalis.nl

For information about our library services: bibliotheek@naturalis.nl