The Museum of Comparative Zoology was founded in 1859 on the concept that collections are an integral and fundamental component of zoological research and teaching. This more than 150-year-old commitment remains a strong and proud tradition for the MCZ.

The present-day MCZ contains over 21-million specimens in ten research collections which comprise one of the world's richest and most varied resources for studying the diversity of life. The museum serves as the primary repository for zoological specimens collected by past and present Harvard faculty-curators, staff and associates conducting research around the world.

As a premier university museum and research institution, the specimens and their related data are available to researchers of the scientific and museum community.

GBIF url: https://www.gbif.org/dataset/4bfac3ea-8763-4f4b-a71a-76a6f5f243d3
Homepage: http://mczbase.mcz.harvard.edu/
Citation: Harvard University M, Morris P J (2026). Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. Version 162.522. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/p5rupv accessed via GBIF.org on 2026-08-07.