150 Years of Research:  Anthropology | Aquatic Biology | Botany | Entomology | Herpetology | Ichthyology | IZG | Library | Ornithology & Mammalogy| Steinhart Aquarium | Morrison Planetarium | Education | Exhibits | Operations | Academy Store

Artifacts of Human Culture
The Department maintains a permanent collection of 17,000 items emphasizing the traditional lifeways of native peoples, with a particular emphasis on western North America and the Pacific Basin. The collection is enhanced through scientific field work, gifts, and selective purchases.

Library
Information in Support of Research and Education

Bookworms
The Academy Library is the oldest, continually operating, scientific library in the American West. It houses rare books, maps, and works of art — in addition to the most up-to-date international science publications and information technology.

Evolution & Behavior of Aquatic Life
Studying microscopic bacteria to man-eating sharks, the Academy’s newest research department combines field and laboratory studies of aquatic animals. Steinhart’s living collection, the extensive Ichthyology collection, and an enormous library of aquatic animal tissues are available for research in this field.

Feathers & Fur
The Department holds over 95,000 birds and 23,000 mammal specimens. Since 1906 their collection of Darwin’s finches has been the primary source material for island biogeographers and evolutionary biologists. The marine mammal collection is one of the most important in the Western Hemisphere.

Plant Explorers
The present herbarium contains 1.9 million plant specimens. It ranks sixth in the U.S. for vascular plants and is a resource of international significance. The plant collections from California, the Galápagos Islands, Baja California, and Chiapas, Mexico are among the most comprehensive in the world.

Living Collections
This aquatic world is home to more than 6,000 animals, representing nearly every underwater environment on Earth. Visitors come face to face with over 600 species of fishes, invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians and black-footed penguins.

For the Love of Bugs
The Entomology collections consist of more than 9.5 million processed and about 4.5 million unprocessed specimens of insect and arachnids. Reflecting research interests, beetles, lacewings, web-spinners, flies, ants, bees, wasps and spiders are particularly well represented.

Stars Over San Francisco
Morrison Planetarium’s 65-foot dome is a great place to learn about the night sky. Original “star-shows” are produced in-house with special effects created by dedicated planetarium technicians. Planetarium educators and lecturers help visitors explore up-to-the-minute astronomy.

Slither & Hop
This Department’s collection holds about 280,000 herpetology specimens and ranks among the world’s top ten. It includes important holdings from Western North America, Central and South America, Africa and Asia. There are also collections from Australia, Oceania and Europe.

Reaching Out
Staff and volunteers of the Education Division share their passion for the natural sciences with tens of thousands of tots, teens, teachers and life-long learners every year. They foster learning through innovative programming, hands-on activities, tours, lectures, demonstrations, classes and field trips.

Something Fishy
This Department houses the third most important fish collection in North America and an exceptional library. The collection contains 200,000 bottles of specimens and continues to grow through field activities of Academy curators and associates.

Exhibits
Interpretation in Support of Research and Education

Explaining the Natural World
This Department works with scientists and educators to engage and inspire Academy visitors, and explore new ways to convey the wonders of the natural world. Their goal is to enrich the museum experience for visitors of every age and background.

Spineless Wonders
The Department maintains four major collections: recent invertebrates, fossils, diatoms, and minerals. These collections are the most diverse within the Academy and contain about 2.5 million specimens.

Hands-on Know-How
Today’s Instrument Shop is part of the Operations Division, which includes building services, electrical, electronics, and audio-visual sections. Shop technicians build and repair equipment for Academy exhibits and research.

Extending the Museum Experience
The Academy Store provides museum visitors of all ages with high quality products and service that reinforce Academy values. Merchandise offered reflects the Academy’s commitment to preserving biodiversity and respecting all human cultures.