MVZ scientists have described over 100 of the 738 salamander species using our very own collections! Today, our amphibian collection helps us answer questions about speciation, toxicology, and biogeography!
Many amphibians can breathe through their skin🫁, and the majority require freshwater to breed! Because of their permeable skin and complex reproductive needs, amphibians are powerful ecological indicators; their presence (or absence) can reveal a lot about habitat health🏞️.
Amphibians belong to three major groups:
1. Anura (frogs)🐸
2. Urodela (salamanders)
3. Gymnophiona (caecilians)🪱
🐸AMPHIBIANS🐸
With over 64,000 cataloged specimens, the amphibian collection at the MVZ is one of the most comprehensive of its kind and serves as a vital resource for understand biodiversity🌎, evolution, and conservation.
Despite being so diverse, all fish are aquatic, breathe through gills, have fins, and lack limbs with fingers or toes🤚🏽
At the MVZ, our ichthyology (the study of fish) research focuses on genomics, morphology, and systematics, all supported by our growing collections!🎣
Fish evolved over 500 million years ago, and today there are more than 34,000 species across three major groups:
1. jawless fishes (Agnathans) lampreys
2. Cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes) sharks and rays🦈
3. Boney fishes (Osteichthyes) everything from trout and tuna, to bluegills and goldfish🐡
🐟🐠FISHES🐡🐟
Welcome to the MVZ’s newest collection! Established in 2019, our fish collection already includes over 15,000 freshwater and marine specimens from around the world!🎏
There are five major groups of vertebrates: fish🐠, amphibians🐸, reptiles🐊, birds🦆, and mammals🐿️ These groups represent some of the most diverse and successful animals on Earth, and are the focus of everything we study at the MVZ!
#naturalhistorymuseum #vertebrate #stemeducation #biology #research
The MVZ is dedicated to research and education focused on documenting patterns of vertebrate diversity. But, what is a vertebrate?🦴
Vertebrates are any animal with a backbone (highlighted in yellow); a structure made of repeating segments of vertebrae that provide support and protection 🩻
Our collections are actively growing and play a key role in research on the evolution, ecology, and conservation of our Earth's vertebrates🌎🔬
Follow along as we give you a behind-the-scenes look at some of the MVZ's most jaw-dropping, unique, and inspiring organisms!
Have you ever wondered what's inside a natural history museum?
The Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ) is home to over 800,000 specimens - from fish🐟 and frogs🐸, to birds🦩, bats🦇, and beyond!
MVZ Professor Jim McGuire and Former MVZ Postdoc Simon Scarpetta find that Fiji iguanas are most closely related to the North American desert iguana — evidence of the longest known transoceanic dispersal of any land animal. bit.ly/3DMIAUD
#calbiggive meet Sylvia Durkin, “I have learned so much about Natural History from MVZ professors and my peers. I have a much deeper appreciation for the work I do knowing more about how the organisms we study fit into their wider ecological and evolutionary context.” mvz.berkeley.edu/supportmvz/
For #calbiggive graduate studentAnaid Cárdenas-Navarrete, who grew up in Mexico City, shares when she knew she wanted to be a scientist. To support the @mvzucberkeley and students like Anaid visit mvz.berkeley.edu/supportmvz/
For #calbiggive learn about Staff Researcher Ammon Corl “I get to work with scientists at the forefront of their fields. The strong spirit of collaborative research allows everyone to figure out more than had they worked alone.” Support the MVZ at mvz.berkeley.edu/supportmvz/
For #calbiggive we are sharing profiles of graduate students like PhD Candidate Emily Bogner who knew she wanted to be a scientist after watching Jurassic Park, “I thought it was so cool you could dig in the dirt and find remains from animals that are no longer alive.” mvz.berkeley.edu/supportmvz/
For #calbiggive we are excited to share profiles of graduate students like PhD Candidate David Tian who says the best thing about working in the MVZ is, “the diversity of organisms, locations, and questions that MVZ members investigate.” To support the MVZ visit mvz.berkeley.edu/supportmvz/
As part of #calbiggive @mvzucberkeley is excited to share profiles of students like Lizi Nichols who knew she wanted to be scientist the first time she went to the Monterey Bay aquarium. To support the @mvzucberkeley and students like Lizi visit mvz.berkeley.edu/supportmvz/
Collage of drawings created by students at event. Artist Credit to: Shelby Medina, Kannon Pearson, and Hannah Diaz.
Isaac Linn, John Myles and Hannah Diaz at work on their pieces.
Watercolor pencils of a bleeding heart dove (Gallicolumba luzonica) by John Myles.
Isaac Linn holding his gouache painting of bleeding heart dove (Gallicolumba luzonica).
For the past few weeks, the MVZ has hosted “Drawing Life after Death,” an informal gathering of MVZ students. Organizers of the event, Kannon Pearson, Isaac Linn and Shelby Medina were inspired by a desire to become more acquainted with the museum’s collections outside of their own specialties.
As avian flu continues to kill birds worldwide, @calfalcons.bsky.social says the disease "is hitting peregrines very hard right now,” and is likely why UC Berkeley’s resident falcon, Annie, and her mate, Archie, haven’t been seen on campus in nearly two months. news.berkeley.edu/2025/02/24/u...
Wealth disparities, pollution, and Los Angeles' urban infrastructure heavily influence coyote movement and behavior, according to a new study led by @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social alum and @calacademy.bsky.social research associate @scrappynaturalist.bsky.social. nature.berkeley.edu/news/2025/02...
Wednesday, March 5 -- Professor Noah Whiteman will speak about his newest book, Delicious Poison: The Story of Nature’s Toxins—From Spices to Vices. Event details - events.berkeley.edu/...
Join the MVZ community for March Mammal Madness! A fun and friendly competition hosted by Arizona State University celebrating the diversity of vertebrates! If you are interested in playing, send us a direct message and we will reply with the information needed to get started!
I am honored to have been selected for the Genetics Society of America Medal--thanks to the @genetics-gsa.bsky.social for all that you do to advance science. I dedicate this award to all of my mentees and collaborators without whom none of the discoveries would have been made!
MVZ Affiliated Professor Noah Whiteman explains how the food we love is the product of four billion years of coevolution between plants and animals. @nkwhiteman.bsky.social bit.ly/3CLsgTB
MVZ Professor Rebecca Tarvin and Colombian colleagues tracked down a new species along that country's pacific coast, naming it in honor of an Afro-Colombian music style. @rdtarvin.bsky.social news.berkeley.edu/2025/02/10/i...
Students Capture Elusive Mount Lyell Shrew on Film! UCB students Vishal Subramanyan and Prakirk Jain, with the help of MVZ Curators, obtained permits and trapping supplies and went to the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains where they captured 15 shrews on film. bit.ly/415DPOP