Virtual Center for Zoology Collections

Web of the Zoology Collections of the University of Granada

CCZ-UGR houses the databases of the collections of the Zoology Department of the University of Granada. It is continuously updated with the incorporation of new collections or the addition of new specimens to existing collections. The page has a "virtual museum" as a tool for basic learning about animal diversity.

Scientific Collections

The scientific collection is made up of material from numerous collection campaigns, research work, exchanges and donations that have been carried out for more than 40 years, which has allowed the accumulation of more than 250,000 specimens of amphibians, reptiles, fish and invertebrates, the latter being the bulk of the collections and those that are in a more advanced state of cataloging. The specimens of the collections, preserved in dry or alcohol, are stored in entomological boxes or in jars and/or vials, preserved in shelves and metal collection cabinets located in two specific rooms of the Zoology Department of the Faculty of Sciences.

The preserved material is taxonomically classified and, for the most part, identified to species level by specialists. It should be noted that these collections house more than a hundred Type and Paratype species and numerous endemic and rare species from various parts of the world. The abundant material from Sierra Nevada and North Africa makes these scientific collections a reference for anyone interested in the knowledge of the biodiversity of the Betic in particular and the western Mediterranean in general.

Historical-Didactic Collection

This collection dates back to 1853, the year in which the Natural History Cabinet of the University of Granada was created, and it is in 1973 when it was definitively located in the current facilities of the Faculty of Sciences. Since then they have served as an important element of support for the practical classes of different subjects taught by the Department of Zoology.

The collection is fully catalogued and consists of almost 1900 specimens of about 800 taxa, approximately 370 vertebrates and 420 invertebrates, representing most of the phyla of the animal kingdom. The geographical origin of the specimens is very varied and in the case of the oldest specimens, some from the amazonian jungles or those from the desert areas of ancient Abyssinia stand out. The iberian fauna is well represented with specimens from both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

The specimens are preserved both dry (naturalized in the case of mammals and birds) and in alcohol. In addition, this collection is composed of skeletons of various mammals, birds and reptiles, as well as didactic models, including those from the mid-nineteenth century attributed to the famous French model maker Louis Thomas Jérôme Auzoux and an important collection of magic lantern plates on various zoological subjects.

Virtual Museum

The Virtual Museum of Zoology aims to contribute to the learning of the theoretical and practical contents of the Zoology course, taught in two degrees (Biology and Environmental Sciences). The practical knowledge of the entire course, which is acquired in person during laboratory practices, is evaluated in a practice exam in which students must demonstrate their knowledge of the taxonomic classification and biology of 300 species belonging to the Animal Kingdom (the most diverse on Earth, excluding the bacterial kingdoms). This requires a great deal of memorization effort on the part of the students. The virtual museum provides photographs of real animals and others from the historical-didactic collection of the Department of Zoology of the UGR and recalls the information on the biology of these animals that was offered during the practicals, facilitating the study of animal biodiversity.

The self-evaluation tool helps to memorize the taxonomy of these species that are part of the evaluable content of the practicals of the Zoology subjects, concretized in a taxonomic outline available to students. In this way, students interact with the subject in a more enjoyable, open, autonomous and flexible way. In addition, they can test their knowledge and take the Zoology lab session's exam with greater confidence.