Overview
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences' Invertebrate Paleontology Collection contains approximately 56,000 specimens in over 11,000 lots representing more than 1400 species. Founded in the late 1800s, the majority of this collection (80%) consists of fossils from North Carolina; however, in total, fossil specimens from 40 U.S. states and 39 countries are represented. The Invertebrate Paleontology Collection contains an important North Carolina and Southeast Regional collection of Cenozoic and Mesozoic molluscan, echinoderm, and crustacean fossils (including a number of type specimens), along with a small but significant collection of Ediacaran body and trace fossils from south-central North Carolina. Our collections consist of an array of individual specimens, slabs containing multiple specimens/taxa, microfossils, matrix samples, and supporting legacy data.
For information regarding the collection or to schedule an invertebrate paleontology collections visit, please contact Christian Kammerer, Research Curator of Paleontology, at christian.kammerer@naturalsciences.org or 919.707.9939.
Check out our new Invertebrates Facebook Group
North Carolina Fossil FAQ
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about fossil collecting in North Carolina.
Paleontology Collection Request Forms
NCSM Research & Collections Collections Policy
- Paleontology Specimen Reproduction Request Form
- Imaging Request Form
- Destructive Analysis Request Form
Online Collections
- Search the Paleontology Collection Database
- Paleontology Collection Photo Gallery
- Paleontology Collection 3D Models
Resources
- National Museum of Natural History Paleobiology Department
- North Carolina Fossil Club
- The Echinoid Directory
- The Paleontology Portal
- University of California Museum of Paleontology
Contact Staff
- Curator: Christian Kammerer
- Collections Manager: Sean Moran