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Online Collection Data

Search Our Collections

Our searchable database provides access to data for more than 719 360 specimens in the collections of the Canadian Museum of Nature.

That figure represents about 22% of the total cataloguable units in the collections, which reflect the museum's four major disciplines:

• zoology
• palaeobiology
• mineralogy
• botany.

Phycology

Collection data for more than 3 043 080 specimens from the museum's National Phycology Collection of Canada (algae and diatoms) are stored in a separate database designed specifically for aquatic biological collections and the unique environmental data that are closely associated with the specimens, such as water chemistry. These data are accessible through http://www.nature-cana.ca/english.

Duplicate Data Hosts

Several third-party websites also provide access to data from several of the Canadian Museum of Nature's collections. (For the most up-to-date data, consult the museum's own databases).

If you are a data provider who provides access to a subset of Canadian Museum of Nature collection data but are not listed here, please contact us.

Artefacts Canada, Canadian Heritage Information Network
Access our palynology data: http://daryl.chin.gc.ca:8000/BASIS/science/user/www/SDW?M=1&W=INSNAME=%27CANADIAN%20MUSEUM%20OF%20NATURE%27.

E-Flora BC
Access some of our vascular-plant collection data: http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/eflora.

Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)

• access our botany, zoology and palaeobiology collection data: http://www.gbif.org
• search by occurrence, species or dataset
• some data providers harvest subsets of our data from GBIF and provide access to it through their portal, including
  • Vertnet http://www.vertnet.org/index.html
  • E-Fauna BC http://www.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/efauna/index.shtml.

Species Access Canada, Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility (CBIF)
Access some of our botany and zoology collection data: http://www.cbif.gc.ca/eng/species-access-network/?id=1381348141137