Vertebrate collections

Fishes

Discover what 160 species of marine and freshwater fish tell us about the creative power of nature: the wels catfish (48 kg) from the Nemunas River, sea horses and pipefishes, little sharks, and freshwater species that breed in the sea; examine the sucker-like mouth of the lamprey and the smile of the northern pike. The central collector and curator of this collection is E. Bukelskis. 

 

Amphibians and Reptiles         

The collection of amphibians and reptiles reflects the local fauna's colorfulness and introduces us to several species from around the world. More abundant are reptiles from Middle Asia, but the most amazing stories lie under some specimens. For example, E. Eichwald bought a crocodile skull from the Memphis pyramid. L. H. Bojanus here produced the famous work on the anatomy of turtles, “Anatome Testudinis Europaeae”. 

 

Mammals     

The collection consists of stuffed animals, their skulls, bones, and antlers. Some specimens have significant historical value, for example, wisent (Bison bonasus), which was hunted by K. Brunner in 1820 with the Emperor of Russia, Aleksander II's permission. The bone and antler collection was supplemented by A. Mačionis, E. Bukelskis, and other scientists. The excellent collection of 100 mammals, representing the art of taxidermy by K. Bybartas, was donated by G. Vaitiekūnas in 2017. 

 

Birds       

It is one of the most famous exhibits in the Baltic countries. The main collection was a gift from Count R. Tyzenhauz in 1855. His father, Count K. Tyzenhauz, was a renowned 19th-century European ornithologist who collected 1093 bird specimens, as well as eggs and nests of 252 species. Ceylon and Middle Asian birds were acquired from the Szelow family, and some African birds were collected during an expedition by A. Ossendowski. The majority of birds are included in the International Red Book and are listed in the Annexes of the CITES, Biodiversity Conventions, etc. 

You will find here scientific references on the history of the Museum of Zoology's bird collection. 

 

Bird Collection