The Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates (CUMV) is an internationally recognized institution dedicated to the study of vertebrates (fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals), one of several natural history collections affiliated with Cornell University. Containing over 1.5 million specimens and 10,000 genetic samples, the CUMV is the primary repository for vertebrate specimens from around the world collected by Cornellians past and present. As a university-based museum, it also serves as an important resource for undergraduate and graduate education.
The CUMV is administered through the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. The museum is housed within the Johnson Center for Birds and Biodiversity along with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, approximately 2.5 miles northeast of the Cornell campus.
The CUMV's holdings are searchable on VertNet (www.vertnet.org/), Global Biodiversity Information Facility (http://www.gbif.org/), and our own web portal (https://www.cumv.cornell.edu/search-collections.html). Loans of specimens and tissue samples are available to qualified members of the scientific community affiliated with academic and research institutions. We especially encourage the use of the collections in student research, whether as thesis work, independent study, or class projects. Although there are no public exhibits at the museum, museum staff are available to provide information about the collections to the Cornell community and to the public. Tours can be scheduled for classes and other interested groups.
For more information please contact: Victor de Brito, Collections Manager.