Collected Curiosities

In the basement of Nash Hall, more than 250,000 fishes are tucked away alongside another few thousand specimens from OSU’s bird and mammal collections. Their bones and bodies fit neatly in cabinets, float in alcohol-filled jars, and are stowed in stainless steel vats on wheels or — in the case of one juvenile thresher shark—an industrial walk-in freezer. Why bother with all these feathers and fins? “They provide a permanent library of biodiversity so we can study how animals have changed over time — where they lived, how they have adapted, even what they ate or what parasites were on them,” says Selina Heppell, the head of OSU’s Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences. “It’s an important record of biological history that is absolutely critical to maintain in the wake of global change.” In addition to being loaned out to researchers across the world, specimens also turn up in classrooms for students to examine and sketch. OSU’s virtual teaching collections contain thousands of specimen images and 3D models that bring similar experiences to Ecampus students. Sign up for a tour, volunteer or donate to help expand and protect the collections.