Specimen Tag Replacement for the Herpetology Collection at the San Diego Natural History Museum

San Diego Society Of Natural History, San Diego CA

Investigators

Abstract

An award has been made to the San Diego Society of Natural History under the direction of Dr. Bradford Hollingsworth to replace tags in the herpetology collection at the San Diego Natural History Museum. This collection is one of the largest of its kind with specimens of lizards, snakes, and amphibians from the western United States and border regions. The current tags with data on collection dates, locations, and other information are in danger of degradation and can cause damage to the specimens stored in alcohol. The new tags of archival, nondamaging materials will standardize the formatting for data and safeguard the information on the tags as well as the specimens themselves. The museum will continue to recruit students, including those from groups underrepresented in science, to help curate and upgrade the tags in the herpetology collection.