Rare Behind-The-Scenes Look At The Vast Collection Of The Smithsonian’s National Museum Of Natural History

The National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., United States, the largest of all museums of the Smithsonian Institution, is home to over 126 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks, and other artifacts, that represents over 90% of the Institution’s collections. As with all museums, a disproportionately large percentage of the collection is stored behind the walls, with only a small number of items put on public display. These items are not sitting in some dark basement and gathering dust, but meticulously organized, labeled, catalogued, and preserved.

h/t: amusingplanet, messynessychic, mymodernmet

Feather identification expert Roxie Laybourne, amidst a portion of NMNH’s bird collection.

Photo credit: Chip Clark

Anthropology

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Entomology

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Invertebrate Zoology

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Mineral Sciences

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Botany

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Anthropology

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Fishes

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Mammals

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Botany – Algae

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Mammals – whales

Photo credit: Chip Clark