Fossil mammal collection

Fossil jaw of Missourium theristrocaulodon — Fossil jaw of *Missourium theristrocaulodon*, an extinct relative of the elephant. Unearthed in 1840 by Albert Koch on the banks of a river in Missouri.

Restricted access to the collection

As we prepare to relocate 28 million specimens to our new science facility at Thames Valley Science Park, we are unable to approve new loans, receive visitors or fulfil collection-based enquiries in the fossil mammals collection from 1 August 2025.

The Museum's fossil mammal collection contains an estimated 250,000 specimens from around the world, and is rich in type and figured material.

Strengths

The collection includes historical research sub-collections, such as mammalian material collected by Charles Darwin on the voyage of the Beagle.

We also have a very diverse collection of excellent collection of British Mesozoic mammals.

Britain’s colonial past has underpinned the growth of our collections. In addition to European material, we have collections from Australia, North America, South America, Africa and Asia.

Our European material includes many important collections, particularly of Tertiary age.

Highlights include:

large collections from Pikermi and Samos in Greece
the Quercy phosphorites
important historical collections from sites like Epplesheim, Germany
a small but significant collection from the Pleistocene of Weimar
material representing the famous European cave bear sites
pioneering research collections assembled by Dorothea Bate from sites in and around the Mediterranean

Global collections

Australia
The collection includes several pioneering sub-collections from Australia. This material was described by Richard Owen and is particularly rich in early type and figured specimens.
South America
A significant highlight from South America is the early collection from the Mylodon Cave at Ultima Esperanza in southern Chile. Our Pleistocene collections from South America are rich in ground sloth specimens. There is also a very diverse collection from the Tertiary of southern Argentina.
Africa
Our holdings of African material are rich and diverse. They incorporate many pioneer collections, important pre-1936 collections of Louis Leakey, large collections from the Miocene and Pleistocene of East Africa and major holdings of Oligocene material from the Fayum of Egypt. Professor RJG Savage's research collections from the Miocene of Libya, recently assilimilated into the collections, are a major new resource.
Asia
The principal collection comes from the Siwalik Hills in northern India and was assembled by Hugh Falconer and Proby T Cautley. It is particularly rich in the remains of large mammals, most notably the Proboscidea, and contains much of the material described in Fauna Antiqua Sivilensis. There are also important holdings from Maragah, Siberia, Borneo and Israel.

Skull of Arsinotherium — Skull of rhinoceros-like ungulate *Arsinotherium* from the Oligocene of Egypt

British collections

We have particularly important material from:

the Republic of Ireland
East Anglia
the Thames Valley
the caves of Devon

In terms of stratigraphic range, our British Pleistocene material is by far the most important collection in England, with major holdings from sites like: