ES-MNCN-CISC Passport Collections

Identification and description

LSID/GRSCICOLL URI If available provide the LSID code

Index Hebarium code If available provide the Index Herbarium code

Outstanding collection features

The scientific collections of the MNCN comprise the most important natural history resource in the CSIC and in Spain, and represent a unique heritage value that dates back to times before the 18th century, when collections started to follow scientific criteria.
- The Palaeontology section includes collections on Paleobotany, Fossil invertebrates, and Paleovertebrates.
- Our Zoology collection of vertebrates and invertebrates focuses mostly on the former, with larger collections of Entomology, Antropoda, and Mollusca.
- We also hold collections on Prehistory and tissues and DNA.

File info Additional information

Genetic repositories

Link to genetic repository e.g. Index Seminum

Title	Link

Does your institution have a DNA bank?

Yes

Number of DNA samples

70 100

Number of organisms / species

5 600

Link to DNA bank

Tissues and DNA Collection

Does your institution have a seed bank?

DNA or seed sample exchange

Size and importance of living collections

Collections statistics

Year of reference

Total specimens

Primary types Estimation of the number of primary types

Other size indicator Specify

Registered cards (%)

Recorded cards in database (%)

Outgoing loans (parcels / specimens) per year

Accessions of specimens per year

Scientific visitors per year

Visiting days per year

Virtual access per year

Collections statistics iframe to the statistics page

EARTH SCIENCES (Geology, Mineralogy, Palaeontology,…)


	Typology	Primary types	Individual specimens/objects	% registered cards	% recorded cards in database
1.1	Palaeontology	534	1402000
1.1.1	Paleobotany	23	[22,000]	95	60
1.1.2	Fossil invertebrates	401	[1,000,000]	95	90
1.1.3	Paleovertebrates	110	[380,000]	95	50
1.2	Geology		36500	99	91
1.3	Prehistory		23000	95	95

LIFE SCIENCES (Zoology, Biology, Botany, Mycology,…)


	Typology	Primary types	Individual specimens/objects	% registered cards	% recorded cards in database
2.1	Zoology	>18,000	6936000
2.1.1	Invertebrates	[17,953]	[6,484,000]
2.1.1.1	Entomology	16,379	[4,000,000]	95	80
2.1.1.2	Arthopoda (other)	340	[260,000]	60	60
2.1.1.3	Mollusca	845	[2,000,000]	100	62
2.1.1.4	Other Invertebrates	389	[224,000]	50	50
2.1.2	Vertebrates	>200	[452,000]	90	88
2.2	Tissues and DNA	26	160,000	100	44.20

Heritage Science

Heritage Year of reference

Library number of items

Library Number of Maps

Library

Library:

The library includes numerous titles of different periodical journals; of them around 437 are open collections, which are received nowadays. There are the bulletins, annals and memoirs of the great institutions of Spain, Europe and America dedicated to Natural History, mostly from their earliest numbers. Our warehouses include the first magazine in the Western world, the famous "Journal des savants" which began its edition in 1665.

Books: 51.860
Journals: 4.303
Maps: 3.757

More info (Spanish only): Biblioteca

Archives

Historical Archive:

The historical archive preserves the written memory of a museum and scientific institution like the MNCN with 240 years of antiquity. There are documentary antecedents prior to its official foundation in 1771, as Royal Cabinet of Natural History. The informative value of its documents is remarkable interesting for the history and development of Natural Sciences in Spain, not only in the field of Zoology, Paleontology, Geology or Mineralogy, but also in other areas that historically were attached to what was known as "Natural History", e.g. archeology, ethnography, anthropology, etc. In fact, the former Royal Cabinet of Natural History will be the first to accumulate collections of these characteristics, a part of which became later the origin of the new museums created during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including: the Archaeological National Museum, the Museum of Anthropology and the Museum of America.

Textual: 6.138
Special fund (drawings, engravings): 11.000
Photographs: 22.000

More info (Spanish only): Archivo historico

Other Heritage

Fonoteca Zoologica. Fonoteca Zoologica is a scientific collection of animal sounds. It was created in 2002 with the aim of supporting the study of acoustic communication in animals. The collection includes more than 45,000 sound recordings belonging to more than 12,000 different species (Mammalia, Birds, Amphibia, Reptilia, Fish, Insecta), which make Fonoteca Zoologica a valuable tool in animal behaviour, Ecology, Systematics and Conservation studies. This scientific collection is available in FonoZoo.com, where it is divided into two sections: FZ Sound Collection and Published Collection. Published collection includes a great number of commercial sound animal guides published all over the world, while FZ Sound Collection consists on scientific original recordings, from the museum staff and other collaborators.

Media Library. The Media Library is a scientific collection of audio-visuals. It is in charge of storing, documenting and managing the audio-visual archive of the Museum and the resources of CIENCIATK that is an audio-visual platform of the CSIC. The collection, in constant growth, includes more than 4,200 audio-visuals of scientific and technical content. More info (Spanish only): Mediateca

Others:

Fine Arts: 142 (paintings, sculptures, object of Art)
Scientific Instruments: 154 (from before 1930)

More info (Spanish only):

Contact

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