Collections
What is a scientific specimen?
A scientific specimen is an organism, object, or sample collected and preserved for study, documentation, or use in scientific or educational projects. Each specimen is accompanied by precise information about its origin.
Specimens may be biological (plants, animals, fungi, tissue samples, DNA), geological (rocks, minerals, fossils, tektites), or even extraterrestrial (meteorites).
These collections form the foundation of research carried out at the MNHNL and play a vital role in sharing and transmitting scientific knowledge.
Collections
Contribute
The MNHNL accepts donations of collections related to natural history. Such contributions enrich the museum’s scientific and heritage collections while supporting research and the dissemination of knowledge to the wider public.
Would you like to make a donation?
Whether you wish to donate traditional specimens or samples, documents or objects of scientific or contextual value (such as field notebooks, historical photographs, or drawings), we invite you to contact the curator responsible for the relevant collection.
The curator will carefully assess whether the proposed objects or documents can be integrated into the museum’s collections and will assist you in formalising the donation.
Certain regulations may apply, particularly for protected species or material covered by the CITES Convention. These aspects will be reviewed with the relevant staff member to ensure full compliance with legal requirements.
Observation data
The MNHNL manages a national database that records field observations of fauna and flora, as well as biotopes and specimens from natural history collections. These data are essential for deepening our understanding of nature.
Digitisation of the collections
Digitising the MNHNL’s scientific collections plays a crucial role in preserving and enhancing natural heritage. This work makes it possible to maintain a digital record of specimens that are often unique and fragile, while making them accessible to researchers worldwide.
Through digitisation, the museum’s collections can be explored remotely, studied without risk to the originals, and used in a wide range of scientific and educational projects.
