Mammalogy

The Collection of Mammals of the OMNH was begun in 1899 and has developed into a significant local, regional, national, and international resource. The collection is the core for the division’s scholarly research and the museum’s exhibits, and formal and informal science education programs.

The collection contains specimens from 24 of the 29 recognized mammalian orders and 90 of 153 recognized mammalian families. Geographic coverage is worldwide, with especially strong representation from Alaska, Oklahoma, Mexico, and several South American countries. Taxonomically, the collection contains extensive series of Dipodomys (Heteromyidae) and rodents from the southern cone of South America (Argentina and Chile). Recent growth in the collection has included specimens from fieldwork in South America (Argentina). More than 50% of this new material, including all types, have been returned to our foreign collaborators (IADIZA-CM, Colección Mastozoológica, Instituto Argentino de Investigaciónes de las Zonas Aridas, and CML, Colección de Mamíferos Lillo, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán).

The SNOMNH mammal collection consists of about 36,000 cataloged and about 5,000 uncataloged specimens. The collection recently completed a curatorial reorganization project, involving inventory, specimen data verification, and georeferencing through a grant from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. The entire collection of catalog specimens is available on the searchable database which will be updated quarterly and through MaNIS.

For questions, requests for information, or requests for loans, contact
Dr. Michael A. Mares, Dr. Janet K. Braun, or Ms. Marcia Revelez.

The Mammalogy collection at the SNOMNH has been supported by collection revitalization grants from the National Science Foundation and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

Personnel

Dr. Janet K. Braun, Associate Staff Curator (Email)

Dr. Michael A. Mares, Sam K. Viersen Jr. Presidential Professor and Research Curator (Email)

Marcia Revelez, Collection Manager
(Email)

Quinci Layman, Undergraduate Research Assistant

Natasha Roberts, Graduate Research Assistant

Research Associates

Dr. Ruben M. Barquez, Affiliated Research Associate

Dr. Troy L. Best, Affiliated Research Associate

Dr. Meredith J. Hamilton, Affiliated Research Associate

Dr. Michael L. Kennedy, Affiliated Research Associate

Dr. Maria de Lourdes (Lulu) Romero-Almaraz, Affiliated Research Associate

Dr. Robert D. Owen, Affiliated Research Associate

Dr. Cornelio Sanchez-Hernandez, Affiliated Research Associate

Dr. Ronald A. Van Den Bussche, Affiliated Research Associate

Dr. Michael R. Willig, Affiliated Research Associate