Tag Archives: Collections

Putting collections data on the map

Posted on March 25, 2020 by

Earlier this year my son asked me, “Daddy, what does your museum collect?” I quickly responded that the Canadian Museum of Nature collects natural history specimens, material culture artifacts, and library and archival fonds which reflect the changing biodiversity of … Continue reading →

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Whale composting: Letting bacteria do the hard work of specimen defleshing

Posted on May 1, 2019 by

Marie-Hélène Hubert reports that when it comes to preparing 40-year-old, formalin-preserved whale specimens, composting is a collection staffer’s best friend. Continue reading →

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Museum birds tell their tale

Posted on June 27, 2018 by

What can be learned from a bird’s nest from 1925? Or from a Bird of Paradise collected in the middle of the last century? Michel Gosselin shows us five specimens from the Museum’s bird collection that each tell a very special story. Continue reading →

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Museum’s millions-strong Arctic marine invertebrates collection gets digitized

Posted on May 30, 2018 by

Thanks to Beaty family donation, the museum is digitizing the collection information for its millions of Arctic marine invertebrates, writes Samantha Brooksbank. Continue reading →

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Windswept Wonders: Collecting Plants and Lichens in Arviat

Posted on August 18, 2016 by

Paul Sokoloff reflects on a one-month collecting trip by museum botanists around a Nunavut community on the shores of Hudson Bay. Continue reading →

Posted in Arctic, Fieldwork, Plants and Algae | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

An unfinished story…assessing the status of Porter’s Twisted Moss

Posted on March 24, 2016 by

From historic collections to a lasting report, Jennifer Doubt shares the story of a rare moss and the national committee that can help save it. Continue reading →

Posted in Collections, Fieldwork, Plants and Algae | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Museum of Nature as a rare species hub

Posted on March 15, 2016 by

Endangered? Threatened? Not at Risk? Jennifer Doubt shares some roles the museum plays in COSEWIC, the national committee that assesses the extinction risk of plants and animals in Canada. Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Collections, Fieldwork | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

A Photographer’s Dream: Capturing the National Collections

Posted on October 17, 2014 by

Stunning shots! A unique project lets museum photographer reflect on getting up close with the museum’s amazingly diverse collections. Continue reading →

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Tough Fishing Spots

Posted on May 15, 2014 by

Dr. Brian Coad is an expert on fishes from the Middle East. His publication on the fishes of Afghanistan adds a new dimension to the natural history of this war-torn region. Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Collections, Research | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Our Collections Online: Digitizing Is the Key

Posted on March 27, 2014 by

Data collections are not widely accessible if they are not digitized and provided online. Museum researcher Jeff Saarela explains the magnitude and importance of this work at the museum. Continue reading →

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