Search our Collection Databases

The Beaty Biodiversity Museum is Vancouver’s natural history museum. 740,946 objects across 4 collections are currently available online, showcasing biodiversity from around the world.

Search our database!


Cowan Tetrapod Collection

Search Birds, Herpetofauna, or Mammals:

Search VertNet.

To restrict searches to specimens in the Cowan Tetrapod Collection, please type UBCBBM in the field labelled: InstitutionCode within the Darwin Core terms section of the Advanced search.

The Cowan Tetrapod Collection is very proud to be part of this 86-member international multi-museum search engine. Species, localities, or collectors can be searched using conventional database fields or by specified circles on maps.


Herbarium

Search the Algae, Bryophytes, Fungi, Lichen, or Vascular Plants:

Some of the Herbarium data are also available on the following collaborative projects: E-Flora BCCanadensys, Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility


Spencer Entomological Collection

Search the Spencer Entomological Collection’s Image Database.

The Spencer Entomological Collection is in the process of being digitized and therefore not everything is currently available. Some of the Spencer Entomological Collection data are also available on the following collaborative projects: E-Fauna and Canadensys.


Fish Collection

Search FishBase.

Enter “UBC” under “Begins with” in the “By catalogue no.” box; genus and species in the “Name used in collection boxes”, any other filters you wish and hit “Search”.

Or for a standard FishBase search with access to pictures, drawings, distribution maps, catch data, graphs of body mass versus brain size, red list status, spawning and size data by geographic area, and much more, click here


  The Marine Invertebrate Collection and the Fossil Collection are currently working on their digitization plans.