CSIRO Logo

The Australian National Wildlife Collection is a significant resource on Australia's biodiversity, aiding the study, classification and documentation of Australia's mammals, birds and reptiles.

Aim of our wildlife collection

Our collection is a vital archive for research and conservation of Australia's terrestrial vertebrate biodiversity.

What our wildlife collection holds

We hold almost 200 000 irreplaceable scientific specimens of wildlife, including skins, skeletons, specimens in spirit, bird egg collections, a wildlife sound library and frozen tissue.

Our wildlife sound archive

Our archive of wildlife sound recordings is the most comprehensive library of its kind in Australia and is among the largest in the world.

History of our wildflife collection

For over 50 years, we have strived to be a modern collection of national scope for Australian land vertebrates including birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals.
Read next: Wildlife research

Contact us

Have a question? Contact us using the form below, or call 1300 363 400 during business hours, .

Your contact details

First name must be filled in

Your enquiry*

We'll need to know what you want to contact us about so we can give you an answer.

Please tell us how you heard about CSIRO