Research Guides: Zoology : Internet Resources

Zoology & Biodiversity Web Resources

Animal Diversity Web (ADW) Animal Diversity Web is an online database that collects the natural history, classification, species characteristics, conservation biology, and distribution information on thousands of species of animals.
Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) The Biodiversity Heritage Library is a consortium of botanical and natural history libraries. Their collaborative efforts make original legacy collections available digitally through open access.
Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) The Encyclopedia of Life is a free, online collaborative encyclopedia intended to document all of the 1.9 million living species known to science.
Map of Life (MOL) MOL hosts a large, and growing global biodiversity database comprised of hundreds of millions of records and a variety of data types.
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ) The Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ) founded in 1908, is a center for research and education in the biology of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

Catalogue of Life (COL) The Catalogue of Life is an online database that provides the most comprehensive and authoritative index of known species of animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms.
Curiosities of Biological Nomenclature "Scientific names of organisms are not usually known for their entertainment value. They are indispensable for clarity in communication, but most people skip over them with barely a glance. Here I collect those names that are worth a second look". ~Mark Isaak, creator
Index to Organism Names (ION) ION is an extensive collection of organism names and related data harvested from the scientific literature for Clarivate's Zoological Record.

Entomology - Bug Guide An online resource devoted to North American insects, spiders and their kin, offering identification, images, and information.
Entomology - Iowa State Index of Internet Resources An annotated guide to insects and insect-related information on the internet.
Herpetology - AmphibiaWeb AmphibiaWeb.org is a non-profit that provides information on amphibian declines, conservation, natural history, range maps, and taxonomy.
Herpetology - The Reptile Database The Reptile Database is a scientific database that collects taxonomic information on all living reptile species.
Ichthyology - Burke Museum The Burke Museum’s Ichthyology Collection houses the largest collection of more than 11 million preserved fish specimens from around the world.
Ichthyology - FishBase FishBase is a global biodiversity information system on finfishes.
Ornithology - All About Birds All About Birds is an online guide to birds and bird watching, produced by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Ornithology - IOC World Bird List The IOC World Bird List is an open access resource of the international community of ornithologists.

Missouri Department of Conservation The commission is charged with the control, management, restoration, conservation and regulation of the bird, fish, game, forestry and all wildlife resources of the state.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is dedicated to maintaining and preserving the world’s most extensive collection of natural history specimens and human artifacts.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is an agency of the US federal government within the US Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats.

Darwin Correspondence Project The Darwin Correspondence Project, founded in 1974, is an independently run research team managed by the Cambridge University Library and the American Council of Learned Societies. This team has worked to make over 6000 of Darwin's letters available and searchable online.
California Roadkill Observation System This web system can be used by observers in the field to record observations of identifiable road-killed wildlife. This includes type of animal and/or species found, where the road-kill was located, when it was found, how long it might have been dead, pictures of the road-kill, and any additional details about road or traffic conditions. The system then displays a summary of this information for different animal groups across the state.