Oxford's Fossil Collections

The palaeontology collections include one of the world's most important collections of Middle Jurassic dinosaurs; exceptionally preserved specimens with intact soft tissues; and enigmatic fossils representing the earliest complex multicellular organisms. It features around 400,000 fossils, ranging from the Archean, ~2.7 billion years ago, to the end of the Pleistocene, 11,700 years ago.

Collection Areas

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Invertebrate Palaeontology

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Vertebrate Palaeontology

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Palaeobotany

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Palaeoanthropology

Highlights

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Brasier Collection

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Trilobite Wall

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The First Dinosaur

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Red Lady of Paviland

Collections Researchers

murdock

Dr Duncan Murdock

emma nicholls

Dr Emma Nicholls

Please contact us if you have questions related to specific collections or would like to book a visit to the collections. If you are not sure which collection manager to contact, please email earth@oum.ox.ac.uk

Collections Online

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Want to view out specimens?

Our collections are enormously powerful for research. Learn more about our facilities and service for researchers.
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Object Identification

The Museum of Natural History offers a free object identification service.