ABOUT THE MARINE VERTEBRATE COLLECTION

 

The Marine Vertebrate Collection (MVC) at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego (ASIH Collection Code: SIO) , is one of the largest and most comprehensive fish collections in the world. Home to nearly two million alcohol-preserved specimens housed in more than 120,000 cataloged lots, the collection represents an astonishing diversity of over 5,900 fish species, from the smallest reef dwellers to the giants of the open ocean. Most specimens are formalin-fixed and stored in 50% isopropanol, ensuring their long-term preservation for future generations of researchers.

Our collection is a true global archive of marine life, with exceptional strengths in deep-sea and pelagic fishes collected from all major ocean basins, and extensive shore-fish holdings spanning the entire eastern Pacific, from Alaska to Chile. These specimens document the breadth of marine vertebrate diversity and serve as an unparalleled resource for advancing our understanding of ocean life.

Among the collection’s treasures are:

  • Over 200 primary types (holotypes) representing newly described species from around the world (type catalog).
  • Skeletal preparations, both dried and cleared-and-stained, for over 1,000 species, revealing the intricate anatomy and evolutionary adaptations of fishes  (osteology catalog).
  • Otoliths (ear bones) from approximately 1,100 species, providing key insights into age, growth, and life history (otolith collection).
  • A rapidly expanding tissue collection of over 2,000 species, stored primarily in 95% ethanol, enabling cutting-edge genomic, evolutionary, and ecological research.

The Marine Vertebrate Collection is not only a research powerhouse, it’s also a cornerstone of education and collaboration at Scripps. Our specimens support graduate and undergraduate training, taxonomic and evolutionary studies, and a growing number of interdisciplinary projects connecting genomics, ecology, and conservation.

Researchers from across the globe are welcome to visit the collection or request loans for study through recognized institutions, in accordance with our loan policy.

With its rich history, global reach, and continued expansion into molecular and imaging resources, the Marine Vertebrate Collection stands as a living library of ocean biodiversity, preserving the past, illuminating the present, and inspiring the future of marine science.