About Bell Collections
Our scientific collections teach us about the past as we prepare for the future.
We have more than 5 million specimens of wildlife, plants and fungi from around the world, helping researchers and students address environmental issues, preserve biodiversity, and understand where species might end up in the future. The scientific collection is an irreplaceable resource and supports the work of researchers across the University of Minnesota and the world.
The zoological collection include separate collections of mollusks, crustaceans, fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds, as well as associated genetic resources. The herbarium represents a botanical history of plant diversity through time and geographic space. The plant collection includes separate collections of fungi, lichens, mosses and algae.
Our collections are used in teaching, research, and outreach, and we are participants in online data-sharing networks including ARCTOS, iDigBio, GBIF, and our own Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas. The plant collection is located in the University of Minnesota Herbarium at 1445 Gortner Avenue. The zoological collections are located in the Ecology Building on the Saint Paul campus of the University of Minnesota at 1992 Upper Buford Circle.
Bell Museum scientific collections are made possible with generous support from the people of Minnesota, through legislative appropriation.
Collections Acknowledgement
In aiming to document, preserve, and interpret biodiversity, the Bell Museum acknowledges the past histories and cultures from where the specimens and items it holds originated. When using specimens to better understand the world’s biodiversity, we are obligated to uncover and document the entirety of the history of these collections. We are committed to creating an environment that welcomes and empowers people from historically underrepresented and marginalized communities to have equitable access to the museum’s resources. Informed by this self-reflection and commitment, we continue our work to better understand the natural world, remember the past, and create a more equitable future.
“We cannot change the past, but we can change our blindness to the past.”
-Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Read the complete collections acknowledgment
Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas
The Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas is an online digital resource offering public access to more than two million plant and animal specimens. The Atlas houses over 10 terabytes of data from the museum’s botanical and zoological collections. More than 16,000 species from Minnesota and around the world are represented.
Learn more about the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas
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Insects
4,200,000+ specimensRead MoreContributions to the collection began in 1879 with specimens of insects and spiders from the North Shore of Lake Superior. Since then, the Insect Collection has been stewarded by entomologists affiliated with the University of Minnesota.
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Plants
900,000+ specimensRead MoreThe Bell Museum is home to a sizeable plant collection—plant specimens number over 700,000 with samples of vegetative parts, cones, fruit, and seeds.
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Fungi
100,000+ specimensRead MoreThe Bell Museum’s fungal collections date from the 1880s and consist of approximately 100,000 specimens, plus more than 160,000 lichens. About 10% of the specimens are of Minnesota fungi; the remainder are from North America and elsewhere.
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Birds
45,000+ specimensRead MoreMost specimens are from the Upper Midwest—mainly from Minnesota. Many of the recent specimens (more than 4,000) have accompanying frozen tissue samples.
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Fishes
41,000+ specimensRead MoreThis collection dates to the 19th century. Early collections focused on fishes of Minnesota, but older collections include specimens from the Philippines, Hawaii, and more.
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Genetic Resources
40,000 frozen tissue samplesRead MoreGenetic resources are a key component of most of our museum collections. The genetic resources collection includes samples from plants of Papua New Guinea, Ozarks fishes, Appalachian salamanders, and birds (especially from Minnesota, the Caucasus mountains, and western North America).
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Mammals
19,000+ specimensRead MoreSpecimens are mainly from Minnesota, but also represent South America, the Philippines, and Africa. Besides this research collection, we also maintain a teaching collection.
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Mollusks
18,000+ specimensRead MoreSome of our mollusk specimens date to 1875. The majority are freshwater mollusks collected in Minnesota and represent an important Upper Midwest collection.
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Amphibians & Reptiles
15,000+ specimensRead MoreFocused on the upper Midwest, we have one of the best collections of herpetological material in the region with 40 families, 152 genera, and 360 species.
Collections & Research
Stay up to date with recent stories from our collections, curators, and researchers.
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