Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia Invertebrate Paleontology Collection

The Academy of Natural Sciences' Invertebrate Paleontology collection is the oldest of its kind in the country, with a history that dates to the Academy's founding. One of its notable founders, Thomas Say (1787-1834), was a researcher specializing in mollusks, as well as recent and fossilized insects and other invertebrates. The ANSP Invertebrate Paleontology collection is estimated to contain over 1 million specimens, including 5,000 type specimens from more than 100 authors. Many of these authors were early and influential figures in American and British paleontology. Some significant contributors to both the type and general collections include Timothy A. Conrad, William M. Gabb, Henry C. Lea, Isaac Lea, Samuel G. Morton, Axel A. Olsson, Anne Harbison, and Henry A. Pilsbry. The collection is particularly strong in Cenozoic and Cretaceous mollusks from the New World, especially those found in the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains; it also includes Quaternary mollusks from around the globe and Mesozoic specimens from England. Notably, approximately 75% of the collection consists of molluscan fossils.