Herpetology

The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia is the oldest natural history museum in North America. By virtue of that fact, the herpetology collection at the Academy is one of the most historically important and biologically diverse in the world.

The collection is of moderate size and cosmopolitan in scope with a strong emphasis of New World species. It contains more than 500 named forms, and includes many primary types.

Researchers interested in the collection should consult the loan policy and loan agreement page. Contact people for the department are Ned Gilmore, Collections Manager ( ) and Ted Daeschler, Associate Curator ( ).

Written queries should be addressed to either of these two at:

Department of Vertebrate Zoology
Academy of Natural Sciences
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19103-1195

History of the Collection

Many specimens at the Academy were collected and described by the eminent scientists of the time. Much of the personal collection of the great 19th century herpetologist, Edward D. Cope is preserved here, (over 3000 specimens). This material was the basis for several major works on snake classification.

Other important early collections deposited at the Academy include those of Jacob Green; specimens from Africa obtained by S.M.E. Goheen, H.A. Ford and P.B. DuChaillu and reported upon by Edward Hallowell, S.W. Woodhouse and A.L. Heermann; and specimens utilized by John Holbrook, Thomas Say, John LeConte, Charles Girard and Richard Harlan. Also present is the Charles Bonaparte collection, purchased and presented to the Academy by Dr. T.B. Wilson.

Additonal significant collections include those received from A. Donaldson-Smith (Africa), S.N. Rhoads (US, Ecuador), J.A.G. Rehn (US), H.A. Pilsbry (US), H.W. Fowler (US), J.A. Spotila, (US), J.T. Sackett (West Indies), the Carpenter African Expediton, R.M. DeScauensee (Thailand), E.R. Dunn (US, Central America), Kjell von Sneidern (Colombia) and the Harrison-Hiller Expediton (Borneo).

Prominent in the collection, and a special reason for its great value, are the primary types for many taxa. There are more than 500 named forms in the Academy collection.

The current catalogues of the collection were begun around 1897 when Henry Weed Fowler became curator of "cold-blooded" vertebrates. Today the collection is completely databased and contains more than 40,000 specimens. It continues to grow and serve as a valuable tool to contemporary biological research.