Have you ever visited a natural history museum? What kinds of things did you see while you were there? One thing you may have noticed is how often different specimens, such as animals, are grouped together. Sometimes they are grouped by where they live, other times by specimen type. All the specimens in the museum form part of different collections.

The Harvard Museum of Natural History showcases specimens from many Harvard University collections. In the following video you’ll learn about one of the many collections in The Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, or MCZ. As you watch, think about:

Herpetology is the branch of zoology that focuses on the study of reptiles and amphibians. In this activity, we will take a closer look at different species within our museum collection to better understand evolutionary relationships.

Standards for Welcome to the Harvard Museum of Natural History