Biological tissues
Our biological sciences collections encompass a diverse range of fauna, from parasites to whales. Over three million animal specimens have been collected in the last 150 years through systematic surveys and collecting trips, donations and acquisitions.
In more recent years these collections have been augmented by what is now the largest tissue collection in the Southern Hemisphere, the Australian Biological Tissue Collection (ABTC). Access to material from the ABTC is managed through the ABTC Grant Policy
Our collections focus on South Australia and serve as our library of life. They allow us to examine the diversity and distribution of South Australian fauna and the changes in their circumstances over time.
A number of these collections can now be accessed online. If you would like to find out more about our collections you can access the Atlas of Living Australia here.
All animals collected by scientists for the Museum are collected under scientific collecting permits.
The Natural Sciences Collections of the South Australian Museum will be reducing services from now (October 2023), leading to a complete closure from late November 2023. The closure is expected to last until mid-2024.
The staff of the Natural Sciences collections need this time for essential audit work, which unfortunately means we can no longer offer normal levels of service. Services we will not be able to offer during this closure include: visits to collections, new donation/accessions of specimens, new loan requests, new registration number requests, tissue requests, and destructive analysis requests.
We will still accept loan returns. Visitors with pre-existing bookings will be honoured.
Services will resume when collection audits are completed.
Collections affected by this suspension of services include: Marine Invertebrates, Terrestrial Invertebrates (including Arachnology and Entomology), Ichthyology, Herpetology, Mammalogy, Ornithology, Australian Biological Tissue Collection, Australian Helminth Collection, Palaeontology, and Mineralogy.
If you have further questions, please email Collections@samuseum.sa.gov.au
Biological tissues
Birds
Fish
Mammals
Marine invertebrates
Parasites
Reptiles and amphibians
Spiders, scorpions & ticks
Terrestrial invertebrates