MVZ scientists have described over 100 of the 738 salamander species using our very own collections! Today, our amphibian collection helps us answer questions about speciation, toxicology, and biogeography!

Many amphibians can breathe through their skin🫁, and the majority require freshwater to breed! Because of their permeable skin and complex reproductive needs, amphibians are powerful ecological indicators; their presence (or absence) can reveal a lot about habitat health🏞️.

Amphibians belong to three major groups:
1. Anura (frogs)🐸
2. Urodela (salamanders)
3. Gymnophiona (caecilians)🪱

Despite being so diverse, all fish are aquatic, breathe through gills, have fins, and lack limbs with fingers or toes🤚🏽

At the MVZ, our ichthyology (the study of fish) research focuses on genomics, morphology, and systematics, all supported by our growing collections!🎣

Fish evolved over 500 million years ago, and today there are more than 34,000 species across three major groups:
1. jawless fishes (Agnathans) lampreys
2. Cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes) sharks and rays🦈
3. Boney fishes (Osteichthyes) everything from trout and tuna, to bluegills and goldfish🐡

There are five major groups of vertebrates: fish🐠, amphibians🐸, reptiles🐊, birds🦆, and mammals🐿️ These groups represent some of the most diverse and successful animals on Earth, and are the focus of everything we study at the MVZ!
#naturalhistorymuseum #vertebrate #stemeducation #biology #research

Our collections are actively growing and play a key role in research on the evolution, ecology, and conservation of our Earth's vertebrates🌎🔬

Follow along as we give you a behind-the-scenes look at some of the MVZ's most jaw-dropping, unique, and inspiring organisms!