Welcome to the Department of Museum Research and Collections!
We oversee the management and curation of the Alabama Museum of Natural History collections and develop interdisciplinary research programs focusing on museum-based research. Browse this site to learn more about who we are and what we do.
A large molecular study has confirmed what was thought for a while: some isolated groups with at most a handful of species each are so unique that they have no close living relatives remaining. Five new families were named and two were revived.
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Predation is an evolutionary force shaping sea floor communities, with the record of drilling predation being particularly useful to study predatory behavior on short and long timescales. Most predatory drill holes are caused by gastropods, but octopods within Octopodoidea also produce characteristic drill holes, yet remain severely understudied in deep time.
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Octopodoidea are a highly versatile and diverse group of marine predators comprising > 200 species today, but their diversity and ecology in deep time are virtually unknown. Because these soft-bodied cephalopods have a low preservation potential, only a single body fossil species has been documented.
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A rare fossil that resembles the skin peeled from an extinct creature has been donated to the Alabama Museum of Natural History, and experts say its scaly appearance is deceiving. The fossil, which is about a foot long, is actually the extremely well preserved “skin” of a Sigillaria — an extinct plant that counts as monstrous by modern standards.
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John Abbott gave a presentation for the Dragonfly Society of the Americas to share the history of Odonata Central, one of the longest running citizen science platforms! He also introduces the new Odonata Central app!
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Dr. John Abbott, the chief curator and director of research and collections for The University of Alabama Museums’, started collecting insects at age five. Now, he’s part of an international team that will spend four years creating the most complete database of dragonflies and damselflies ever assembled.
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This summer, an article using a well-preserved mosasaur jaw from the Alabama Museum of Natural History paleontology collection, was published in the July issue of Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.
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This year’s Bama Bug Fest will be crawling your way April 22-24! Bug Enthusiasts will be able to participate in video live chats with experts, make crafts, and visit in-person exhibits at Alabama Museum of Natural History, Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum, and Tuscaloosa Public Library! For more details, visit: https://bamabugfest.org/
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At the Alabama Museum of Natural History, we are removing the Kodiak bear from the Grand Gallery in preparation of a new exhibit! Here’s a video of what that looks and sounds like. Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes updates on our progress!
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