Research and Collections

Species Discovery

Museum Centre

Linking our core strengths to advance and enhance the impact and reach of what we do. More.
Arctic Centre

Knowledge and Exploration

Expanding our capacity to meet Arctic environmental challenges and inspire future Arctic scientists.

Collections-Based Research to Understand the Natural World

The Canadian Museum of Nature is a scientific leader in species discovery and Arctic research.

Our multidisciplinary team of scientists conduct leading-edge research in the natural sciences.

Animals, fossils, minerals, plants and algae—more than 14.6 million specimens are preserved in Canada's natural-history collection.

Access data from the museum's collections: search, map results, and download data and images. Search our collections.

The museum's multidisciplinary team specializes in collection-based research in the life sciences and Earth sciences.

Doing collection-based systematics studies at the museum? We award travel grants. Apply now.

Check out this view on Arctic-related activities, events, research, etc. at the museum.

The library and archives are open by appointment. Search our catalogue online.

War Ornithologists
During the two world wars, biologists and ornithologists who were enlisted as soldiers observed bird behaviour and even collected specimens. Meet three ornithologist soldiers whose specimens made their way to the museum.
One Hundred Lichens New to Quebec, Canada, and North America from the Gaspé Peninsula
Troy McMullin went for a backcountry ski in Parc national de la Gaspésie and discovered a lichenologist's wonderland.