Zoologische Sammlung der Universität Rostock

Description

As the scientific collection of the University of Rostock, the Zoologische Sammlung Rostock is affiliated with the Chair of General and Special Zoology and fulfils functions in research and teaching. Parts of the holdings are also made accessible to the public.

The origins of the collection date back to 1775, when Oluf Gerhard Tychsen founded a cabinet of natural curiosities at the Friedrichs-Universität Bützow. After the merger of the universities of Bützow and Rostock in 1789, the collection items were transferred to the Akademisches Museum im Weißen Kolleg in Rostock. In 1844 the collection moved to Universitätsplatz 1, accompanied by the incorporation of parts of the grand-ducal collection from Ludwigslust. Since 1880 the holdings have been at Universitätsplatz 2, the present location. An exhibition space was established on the building's ground floor in 2002.

The collection currently comprises around 140,000 series of voucher specimens, with clear emphases on biodiversity and evolutionary research. Extensive series exist for aquatic molluscs (about 14,000), polychaetes (approx. 2,500), fish (approx. 2,500), birds (approx. 2,400), scorpions (around 1,000) and crustaceans (to date about 1,000, currently being expanded). The holdings are complemented by specialised collections, such as aphid preparations by F. P. Müller and insect collections (Coleoptera, Diptera) from A. Raddatz, A. Wendt, S. Brauns and O. J. H. Karl. Numerous teaching models also belong to the collection, including the now rare glass models of the Blaschkabrüder.

As a well-known individual object, the collection preserves the Rostocker „Pfeilstorch“ from 1822, which is regarded as the oldest documented evidence for the long-distance migration of birds.