- Museum of Comparative Zoology
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The Museum of Comparative Zoology, full name "The Louis Agassiz Museum of Comparative Zoology", often abbreviated simply to "MCZ", is a zoology museum located on the grounds of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is one of three museums which collectively comprise the Harvard Museum of Natural History. The current director of the museum is James Hanken, the Louis Agassiz Professor of Zoology at Harvard University.
Many of the exhibits in the museum have not only zoological interest but also historical significance. These include a fossil sand dollar which was found by Charles Darwin in 1834, Captain Cook's mamo, and two pheasants that once belonged to George Washington.
This museum and the other institutions that comprise the Harvard Museum of Natural History are physically connected to the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology; for visitors, one admission ticket grants access to both museums.
Contents
History
The Museum of Comparative Zoology was founded in 1859 through the efforts of zoologist Louis Agassiz, and the museum is sometimes referred to as "The Agassiz" after its founder. Agassiz designed the collection to illustrate the variety and comparative relationships of animal life.
Departments
The museum comprises twelve departments: Biological Oceanography, Entomology, Herpetology, Ichthyology, Invertebrate Paleontology, Invertebrate Zoology, Mammalogy, Marine invertebrates, Malacology, Ornithology, Population Genetics, and Vertebrate Paleontology. The Ernst Mayr Library and its archives join in supporting the work of the museum. The Ernst Mayr Library is a founding member of the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Displays
In contrast to more modern museums, the Harvard Museum of Natural History has many hundreds of stuffed animals on display, from the collections of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Notable exhibits include whale skeletons, the largest turtle shell ever found (eight feet long), "the Harvard mastodon", a 50-foot (15 m) long Kronosaurus skeleton, the remains of a Dodo, and a Coelacanth preserved in fluid.
Prehistoric and extinct animals
The collection of prehistoric and extinct animals on display, considered to be one of the largest in the northeast United States, includes (note that some are casts and models):
Canis dirus- Dire Wolf
Probelesodon
Equus
Mammut americanum- American mastodon
Merycoidodontidae- Oreodonts
Latimeria chalumnae- Coelacanth
Belesodon(?)
Dinnebitodon
Homeosaurus
Platychelys
Eurysternum
Tremalops
Gualosuchus
Mesorhinosaurus(?)
Aepyornis- Elephant Bird
Raphus cucullatus- Dodo
Alca impennis- Great Auk
Dinornis- Giant Moa
Monachus tropicalis- Caribbean Monk Seal
Hydrodamalis gigas- Steller's Sea Cow
Potamon
Bumastis
Image gallery
References
- The Museum of Comparative Zoology (homepage)
- Boston Phoenix; "Best Freak Show (Other than the Subway)"
- The Rarest of the Rare by Nancy Pick
Coordinates: 42°22′42.50″N 71°06′56.00″W / 42.378472°N 71.11556°W
Categories:- Harvard University
- Research museums in the United States
- Museums in Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Natural history museums in Massachusetts
- University museums in Massachusetts
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