The vertebrate collection contains over 32,000 herpetology, ornithology, mammalogy, and ichthyology specimens from around the world. This includes ~18,500 amphibians and reptiles, ~3,500 mammals, and ~9,400 birds. Our collections also have a special emphasis on the vertebrates of the central and southern coast of California.
All collections are housed in the Cheadle Center main building except the ichthyology collection, which is stored in the Biological Sciences Instructional Facility (BSIF) building at the UCSB campus.
Citing these Collections
The Vertebrate Zoology Collections and their data can be accessed through the Consortium of Small Vertebrate Collections (CSVColl) portal, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), and iDigBio. If utilizing the data from the Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration please cite the source of the data using the citation below and also include the GBIF download citation when applicable
Citation:
UC Santa Barbara Invertebrate Zoology Collection. Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration, University of California, Santa Barbara. Accessed on [today's date] Occurrence dataset (ID: b03a3f0c-bfa5-4e02-b5d3-56ff38626302)
Herpetology
The herpetology collection holds approximately 18,500 specimens, mostly from San Luis Obispo, Kern, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles counties. The collection is scientifically valuable for its extensive coverage of this rich and biogeographically complex transitional region.
The majority of specimens are fluid-preserved and are accompanied by field notes. There are significant holdings of amphibian eggs and larvae, skeletal preparations, prepared materials, focused collections that show evolutionary dynamics at intraspecific transition zones, and the synoptic collection. We do not maintain a tissue collection at this time.
The Cheadle Center herpetological collection is unique in its thorough coverage of the herpetofauna of southwestern California, and for its relevance to critical conservation issues via documenting life history patterns of declining amphibians and recent changes in the abundance and distribution of species.
Ornithology
The collection contains about 9,400 specimens. There is a good representation of species found in southern California, including the near ocean and the Channel Islands, and also many species found elsewhere in North America, Mexico, and Europe. Special efforts have been made to collect species of particular biogeographic interest in southern California, such as those that have subspecies boundaries within the region.
In addition, the collection has especially large series of several species that have figured prominently in the literature on ornithology, evolution, behavior and physiology, such as the White-crowned Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird, Grebes, Acorn Woodpecker, Wrentit, Savannah Sparrow, and Spotted Towhee. In addition, the collection houses specimens that have contributed to numerous studies published by UCSB researchers.
Mammalogy
The mammalogy collection includes approximately 3,500 specimens. Most of the specimens consist of study skins and skulls. The collection also includes partial or complete skeletons for many species. The skins of large animals have generally been prepared as tanned hides.