The vertebrate collections

The Fish Collection at the University Museum in Bergen is the largest of its kind in Norway, with more than 24,000 specimens. Among these are 142 type specimens. Our collections also include more than 5,000 tissue samples from fish. The collection focus lies on the biological diversity of the Norwegian fish fauna and deep-water fish in the Northeast Atlantic.

The collection largely consists of bird skins (approx. 6,500), but also includes some birds preserved in ethanol (approx. 400) and a collection of eggs, see below. A few older, mounted (taxidermied) specimens of particular historical value are also included. In total, around 830 different species from around the world are represented, but the main focus is on Norwegian/Nordic species.

Birds currently prepared for the collection mainly consist of so-called roadkill (birds killed by flying into windows, in traffic, in fishing nets, by cats, etc.).

The bird collections contain around 2,700 sets of eggs (whole or partial clutches). In some cases, these sets also include whole nests. The eggs mainly come from Norwegian/Nordic species.

A large proportion of the material comes from the private collections of zoologist Herman Friele (1838–1921) and district medical officer Andreas Bredal Wessel (1858–1940) from East Finnmark.

Special studies of the breeding biology of certain species (particularly waders) have in some cases also resulted in high-quality material. The rest of the collection largely consists of eggs that were collected more incidentally, for example because they failed to hatch ("addled eggs") or were abandoned by the parent birds.

In total, approximately 220 species are represented. Most of the material comes from Norwegian and Nordic fauna.

A significant proportion of the specimens have come in through special surveys of taxonomic and biogeographic patterns among small mammals (particularly rodents and shrews). The collection also includes a substantial collection of around 300 whale foetuses (preserved in ethanol).

Today, there is little active collecting of mammals for the museum, and incoming material largely consists of so-called roadkill or animals found dead of various causes.

Our collections of amphibians and reptiles are relatively small, totaling around 1,200 specimens. Much of this material consists of whole animals preserved in ethanol. Although the collection includes a number of species from exotic regions, the current main focus is on the limited number of species found in Norwegian fauna.

There is currently no ongoing collection activities of herpetofauna, and new material primarily consists of animals that have been found dead for various reasons.

In addition to the scientific collections, there is a larger collection of zoological material that is primarily used—or has been used—in connection with exhibitions at the museum. Many of the objects in this collection are more sparsely documented than objects in the scientific collections.

A large part of the material consists of mounted (taxidermied) mammals and birds. There is also a substantial collection of animals preserved in ethanol, mainly fish, amphibians, reptiles, and marine invertebrates, as well as a considerable amount of skeletal material.

The collection includes a number of taxa that are not found in the scientific collections. However, many objects have been on display for a long time, and their quality has been reduced due to prolonged exposure to light and a variable indoor climate.

Loans from the exhibition collection may, under certain conditions, be considered for other museums, but will normally not be available for private or commercial purposes.

In general, objects are available for loan for scientific use, but with some restrictions regarding size and type status. Suitable laboratory workspaces are available at the museum, and we are happy to host visiting researchers who wish to study objects in our collections.

For questions about the availability of species and objects, loans, and scientific visits to the collections, please contact our curators: Nicolas Straube (fish) or Terje Lislevand (other vertebrates).