African Zoology

Ornithology

About 150,000 bird specimens, as flat skins, specimens in alcohol, mounted specimens and skeletons. M. Louette Around 250 species and sub-species of birds are represented by types; these types are the reference basis for a scientific name (taxon). M. Louette Prionops alberti (2 skins in the collection of the RMCA), a remarkable species endemic to the Albertine Rift.

Ichthyology With 3/4 of a million of specimens this is the largest collection of fresh- and brackish water fishes from Africa in the world. The collection contains the type material of about one third of the described African fish species. The collection is entirely digitalised and can be searched through FishBase – Fish Collections. J. Snoeks and E. Vreven

Haplochromis paucidens, one of fifteen species of cichlids endemic to Lake Kivu (Congo - Rwanda)

• For the great lakes region, the Museum equally has the largest collection of type specimens from lakes Kivu and Tanganyika, some of which date back to the founding of the Museum. Recently an important collection of a few hundred, mostly undescribed, lake Malawai species has been added.
  J. Snoeks

 Herpetology

About 41,000 reptiles and 200,000 amphibians (most of the specimens are preserved in alcohol, but there is also a collection of skeletons and alizarin preparations). Main origin: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Togo.  D. Meirte A type specimen of Pelusios carinatus

• 182 taxa with primary types, 52 with secondary types, 31 taxa of unknown type status. Most important authors of the type material are G.-F. de Witte and R. Laurent.
  D. Meirte

 Osteology and  Mammalogy

• Osteological collections
  Skeletons are available for all classes of vertebrates (3,100 fish, 120 amphibians, 200 reptiles, 1,300 birds, 630 mammals) which can be used in comparative morphological studies and for the identification of faunal remains from archaeological sites.
  E.Gilissen
• Mammals
  More than 120,000 mammals, represented by skins, specimens in alcohol, skulls and skeletons. Rodents (75,000), bats (18,000) and monkeys (10,000) are the orders represented by the most specimens.
  (for a detailed inventory see database primate collection)
  Part of this collection has already been digitized. (e.g. CT-scans)
  E.Gilissen