Museum of Comparative Zoology
@mczharvard.bsky.social
The Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University (MCZ) is a private center for research and education focused on the comparative relationships of animal life. We house millions of animal specimens and host hundreds of visiting researchers each year.
Congratulations to MCZ’s Director of Collections Operations Breda Zimkus, recently elected as VP of the Board of Directors of the Natural Science Collections Alliance. Breda will apply her expertise to advancing the NSC Alliance and their community's interests.
January 16, 2026 at 10:00 PM
Congratulations to MCZ’s Director of Collections Operations Breda Zimkus, recently elected as VP of the Board of Directors of the Natural Science Collections Alliance. Breda will apply her expertise to advancing the NSC Alliance and their community's interests.
It's January and that means that many of our collections are hosting students enrolled in the J-term course Museum Studies.
Patrick Riordan is working in our invertebrate zoology collection cleaning and barcoding microscopic slides of parasitic worms, in support of our NSF grant InSliDE.
Patrick Riordan is working in our invertebrate zoology collection cleaning and barcoding microscopic slides of parasitic worms, in support of our NSF grant InSliDE.
January 15, 2026 at 2:31 PM
It's January and that means that many of our collections are hosting students enrolled in the J-term course Museum Studies.
Patrick Riordan is working in our invertebrate zoology collection cleaning and barcoding microscopic slides of parasitic worms, in support of our NSF grant InSliDE.
Patrick Riordan is working in our invertebrate zoology collection cleaning and barcoding microscopic slides of parasitic worms, in support of our NSF grant InSliDE.
GUR grants from the MCZ support faculty-supervised research by Harvard College undergraduates and applications for the spring are due on January 26!
More information at https://bit.ly/4lIg1aO
(background image of past recipient, Annina Kennedy-Yoon, conducting field research in Kenya)
More information at https://bit.ly/4lIg1aO
(background image of past recipient, Annina Kennedy-Yoon, conducting field research in Kenya)
January 13, 2026 at 6:51 PM
GUR grants from the MCZ support faculty-supervised research by Harvard College undergraduates and applications for the spring are due on January 26!
More information at https://bit.ly/4lIg1aO
(background image of past recipient, Annina Kennedy-Yoon, conducting field research in Kenya)
More information at https://bit.ly/4lIg1aO
(background image of past recipient, Annina Kennedy-Yoon, conducting field research in Kenya)
Congratulations and thank you to Alana Rivera, Collection Assistant in Invertebrate Zoology, for her 20 years of dedicated service at the MCZ!
Here Alana is shown with a basket star specimen collected in 1893, while participating in ArtsThursdays at the @harvardmuseums.bsky.social
Here Alana is shown with a basket star specimen collected in 1893, while participating in ArtsThursdays at the @harvardmuseums.bsky.social
January 12, 2026 at 5:42 PM
Congratulations and thank you to Alana Rivera, Collection Assistant in Invertebrate Zoology, for her 20 years of dedicated service at the MCZ!
Here Alana is shown with a basket star specimen collected in 1893, while participating in ArtsThursdays at the @harvardmuseums.bsky.social
Here Alana is shown with a basket star specimen collected in 1893, while participating in ArtsThursdays at the @harvardmuseums.bsky.social
Learn about two new species of frog described in India in this video: https://bit.ly/3NblyLn. James Hanken, Emeritus Professor at @harvardoeb.bsky.social and former Curator in Herpetology, is an author alongside a team of Indian herpetologists including those with ties to the MCZ.
January 9, 2026 at 7:12 PM
Learn about two new species of frog described in India in this video: https://bit.ly/3NblyLn. James Hanken, Emeritus Professor at @harvardoeb.bsky.social and former Curator in Herpetology, is an author alongside a team of Indian herpetologists including those with ties to the MCZ.
Welcome, Carrie!
OEB is thrilled to announce that Carrie Albertin has officially joined as Assistant Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Assistant Curator in Malacology at @mczharvard.bsky.social Please join us in welcoming Professor Albertin!
January 6, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Welcome, Carrie!
Many of our specimens are accompanied by hard-to-read labels, whether due to challenging handwriting, non-latin alphabets or long-outdated names, and our entomology dept took to social media to test entomologists and transcription enthusiasts around the globe to decipher labels from this specimen.
December 25, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Many of our specimens are accompanied by hard-to-read labels, whether due to challenging handwriting, non-latin alphabets or long-outdated names, and our entomology dept took to social media to test entomologists and transcription enthusiasts around the globe to decipher labels from this specimen.
Thanks to focused database efforts and a Japanese visiting researcher's translation assistance, this record for Lutra lutra whiteleyi (the now extinct Japanese river otter) in MCZbase is enriched with valuable information.
December 24, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Thanks to focused database efforts and a Japanese visiting researcher's translation assistance, this record for Lutra lutra whiteleyi (the now extinct Japanese river otter) in MCZbase is enriched with valuable information.
Our ornithology department has a rich collection of articulated skeletons - from the Little Spotted Kiwi to the White Stork - that are used for teaching and morphological studies.
December 23, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Our ornithology department has a rich collection of articulated skeletons - from the Little Spotted Kiwi to the White Stork - that are used for teaching and morphological studies.
This semester the Vertebrate Paleontology Department hosted various tours including the @harvardmuseums.bsky.social Student Board, Harvard students, and the Northwest Building Operations staff. We had two interns, and most recently, VP staff shared paleo facts with the public at HMSC’s Fossil Day.
December 22, 2025 at 4:00 PM
This semester the Vertebrate Paleontology Department hosted various tours including the @harvardmuseums.bsky.social Student Board, Harvard students, and the Northwest Building Operations staff. We had two interns, and most recently, VP staff shared paleo facts with the public at HMSC’s Fossil Day.
Caaeteboia amarali has puzzled researchers since the early 19th century, with its systematic affinities unclear. Two specimens were recently discovered in our collection, which were previously misidentified. They were discovered by Omar M. Entiauspe-Neto during his Ernst Mayr Grant-sponsored visit.
December 19, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Caaeteboia amarali has puzzled researchers since the early 19th century, with its systematic affinities unclear. Two specimens were recently discovered in our collection, which were previously misidentified. They were discovered by Omar M. Entiauspe-Neto during his Ernst Mayr Grant-sponsored visit.
Hereptology staff utilize copy stands and ring lights of all sizes to image the specimens in the department. Large specimens require creative imaging methodologies. This rhinoceros iguana was collected in the Dominican Republic in 1929 by Thomas Barbour, herpetology curator and director of the MCZ.
December 18, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Hereptology staff utilize copy stands and ring lights of all sizes to image the specimens in the department. Large specimens require creative imaging methodologies. This rhinoceros iguana was collected in the Dominican Republic in 1929 by Thomas Barbour, herpetology curator and director of the MCZ.
This leafcutter bee from Chile is a solitary bee in the genus Megachile. They build nests with individual cells in which they deposit an egg and food for when the egg hatches. Some bees in this genus cut leaves to line the cells, possibly to prevent the food supply from drying out. #BigBee
December 17, 2025 at 4:00 PM
This leafcutter bee from Chile is a solitary bee in the genus Megachile. They build nests with individual cells in which they deposit an egg and food for when the egg hatches. Some bees in this genus cut leaves to line the cells, possibly to prevent the food supply from drying out. #BigBee
MCZ entomologists have uncovered evidence that some of the planet’s oldest seed plants use heat, rather than color or scent alone, to communicate with their pollinators — a discovery that reshapes scientists’ understanding of how early plant–animal relationships evolved. https://bit.ly/48BYjCy
December 16, 2025 at 4:00 PM
MCZ entomologists have uncovered evidence that some of the planet’s oldest seed plants use heat, rather than color or scent alone, to communicate with their pollinators — a discovery that reshapes scientists’ understanding of how early plant–animal relationships evolved. https://bit.ly/48BYjCy
There is a new, smaller-scale exhibit at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, featuring MCZ's collection of glass microscope slides. "Making the Invisible Visible: Digitizing Invertebrates on Microscope Slides" walks visitors through the history of the slides to today's digitization projects.
December 15, 2025 at 4:00 PM
There is a new, smaller-scale exhibit at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, featuring MCZ's collection of glass microscope slides. "Making the Invisible Visible: Digitizing Invertebrates on Microscope Slides" walks visitors through the history of the slides to today's digitization projects.
Congratulations to Ashwin Sivakumar (pictured far left), one of five from Harvard named Marshall Scholars. Ashwin is a Harvard sophomore working in the Scott Edwards Lab @harvardoeb.bsky.social and MCZ ornithology, and serves on the @harvardmuseums.bsky.social student board.
December 12, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Congratulations to Ashwin Sivakumar (pictured far left), one of five from Harvard named Marshall Scholars. Ashwin is a Harvard sophomore working in the Scott Edwards Lab @harvardoeb.bsky.social and MCZ ornithology, and serves on the @harvardmuseums.bsky.social student board.
Maria Paula visited the MCZ to study type specimens for her taxonomic revision of harvestmen in the family Kimulidae. During her research, she identified at least three new species hiding in lots collected nearly 90 years ago.
Her visit was sponsored by an Ernst Mayr Grant https://bit.ly/4kr8m06
Her visit was sponsored by an Ernst Mayr Grant https://bit.ly/4kr8m06
December 11, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Maria Paula visited the MCZ to study type specimens for her taxonomic revision of harvestmen in the family Kimulidae. During her research, she identified at least three new species hiding in lots collected nearly 90 years ago.
Her visit was sponsored by an Ernst Mayr Grant https://bit.ly/4kr8m06
Her visit was sponsored by an Ernst Mayr Grant https://bit.ly/4kr8m06
A researcher interested in hellbenders, America’s largest salamander species, recently requested the snout-vent length and total length of our specimens. Because they were prepared with many curves and twists, we use a piece of string and a tape measure to record accurate measurements.
December 10, 2025 at 4:00 PM
A researcher interested in hellbenders, America’s largest salamander species, recently requested the snout-vent length and total length of our specimens. Because they were prepared with many curves and twists, we use a piece of string and a tape measure to record accurate measurements.
MCZ collections recently hosted students from Boston Green Academy and Cambridge Rindge & Latin School during Evolution Day 2025, organized by @harvardoeb.bsky.social to connect high school students with Harvard researchers to provide meaningful and accessible life sciences research experiences.
December 9, 2025 at 4:00 PM
MCZ collections recently hosted students from Boston Green Academy and Cambridge Rindge & Latin School during Evolution Day 2025, organized by @harvardoeb.bsky.social to connect high school students with Harvard researchers to provide meaningful and accessible life sciences research experiences.
Each MCZ collection - such as mammalogy or vertebrate paleontology - is curated by a faculty member @harvardoeb.bsky.social. Learn about their research and more about the MCZ in our brochure at https://bit.ly/48pmDHH.
Research at the Museum of Comparative Zoology
MCZ Brochure
simplebooklet.com
December 8, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Each MCZ collection - such as mammalogy or vertebrate paleontology - is curated by a faculty member @harvardoeb.bsky.social. Learn about their research and more about the MCZ in our brochure at https://bit.ly/48pmDHH.
Ticks on an Eel: Museum Specimen is a First of its Kind entomologytoday.org/2025/12/03/t.... Research from @harvardoeb.bsky.social graduate student Kaylin Chong, using a specimen collected over 150 years ago!
Ticks on an Eel: Museum Specimen is a First of its Kind
Two ticks found on an 1873 electric eel specimen mark the first recorded case of ticks parasitizing a fish—but only documented just this year.
entomologytoday.org
December 5, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Ticks on an Eel: Museum Specimen is a First of its Kind entomologytoday.org/2025/12/03/t.... Research from @harvardoeb.bsky.social graduate student Kaylin Chong, using a specimen collected over 150 years ago!
Ever dive into a tank of turtles? Herpetology staff did just that as they inventoried over 130 pond turtles as they looked for seven turtles of interest to fulfill a researcher's imaging request. See the resulting database entry at https://bit.ly/48cQRfK Photos by Cynthia Wang-Claypool
December 1, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Ever dive into a tank of turtles? Herpetology staff did just that as they inventoried over 130 pond turtles as they looked for seven turtles of interest to fulfill a researcher's imaging request. See the resulting database entry at https://bit.ly/48cQRfK Photos by Cynthia Wang-Claypool
This specimen of a male Cyphophthalmus sp. from Ossa Mt., Greece was imaged by Ernst Mayr Grant recipient Panagiotis Kontos during his review of Greek sironids (mite harvestmen) at the MCZ. His research will result in descriptions of new species integrating morphological and molecular data.
November 26, 2025 at 3:00 PM
This specimen of a male Cyphophthalmus sp. from Ossa Mt., Greece was imaged by Ernst Mayr Grant recipient Panagiotis Kontos during his review of Greek sironids (mite harvestmen) at the MCZ. His research will result in descriptions of new species integrating morphological and molecular data.
We recently wrapped up our NSF-funded CSBR grant which focused on subsampling and cryogenically storing tissue from primary type species across six collections. 14,000 specimens were subsampled and stored in the cryogenic collection - preserving these valuable type specimens for future research!
November 25, 2025 at 2:05 PM
We recently wrapped up our NSF-funded CSBR grant which focused on subsampling and cryogenically storing tissue from primary type species across six collections. 14,000 specimens were subsampled and stored in the cryogenic collection - preserving these valuable type specimens for future research!
A recent donation of five specimens of Chilabothrus exsul, the Abaco Island Boa from the Bahamas, marks the first time this species has been deposited into our collection. Collected in 2015 by R. Graham Reynolds, these specimens are now in our database ready for researchers to examine and use.
November 24, 2025 at 9:00 PM
A recent donation of five specimens of Chilabothrus exsul, the Abaco Island Boa from the Bahamas, marks the first time this species has been deposited into our collection. Collected in 2015 by R. Graham Reynolds, these specimens are now in our database ready for researchers to examine and use.