The vertebrate paleontology program at the University of Kansas has, for over a century, sustained a national and international reputation. The reputation of the collection has been based more on intensive use than on sheer size. We now hold over 150,000 cataloged specimens (>75,000 are available in digital format) and around 400 publications related to our collections have been published in the last 35 years. Research strengths include: Paleozoic and Mesozoic fishes, Paleozoic tetrapods, Mesozoic marine vertebrates, Cenozoic small mammals and Natural Trap Cave fauna.

KU herpetology houses one of the largest herpetology collections in the world (340,000 specimens representing more than 5000 species from 156 countries). The KU collections include the world’s largest collection of neotropical amphibian and reptile specimens (200,000+) as well as substantial numbers of Nearctic (80,000+) and Asian (20,000+) specimens. KU holdings are particularly strong for the U.S., Ecuador, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Costa, Rica, Haiti, the Philippines, Peru and Panama. The collection from Kansas is the state’s largest (20,000+). The type collection includes nearly 400 primary types, mostly amphibians. KU Herpetology also maintains 5000 cleared-and-stained osteological preparations, nearly 5000 dried skeletons, and one of the world’s largest collections of amphibian larvae (6000+ lots). The KU digital archive includes more than 12,000 digital images and more than 1500 acoustic recordings.

The mammal collection at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum is one of the world's largest (the fifth largest mammal collection in North America and the third largest university collection in the world). The most common preparation type is a prepared skin, with the skull cleaned and stored in a separated container (our preparation code is SS). Second-most common is a skin with the entire skeleton cleaned and stored separately (SB). Some specimens consist only of a skull (SK) or cranium (CO). Other specimens may consist of a partial skeleton (PS), an entire skeleton (SN) or only a skin (SO). Many of our specimens are stored in alcohol (AL), or are in alcohol with the skull removed and cleaned (SA). Tissues associated with any of these preparation types are noted as a separate field in our database. Because there are active public education and exhibits programs in the KU Natural History Museum, a few of our specimens are taxidermy mounts (BM) and some are housed permanently on exhibit. Other preparation types are coded as “other” (OT). Occasionally, specimens are prepared with the baculum or os clitoris and separately stored in preserving fluid. Non-standard preparation types and additional materials are noted in a comments field in our database.<br><br>We have extensive historical collections from Central America, Mexico, and southeast, central, western regions of the United States and Alaska. We recently added outstanding collections from the Philippines and New Guinea. We anticipate continuing to maintain our strengths in these geographic regions, emphasizing bats, rodents and insectivores—current taxonomic strengths. Most of our collection consists of nicely prepared skins, skulls, and complete skeletons, with most recent specimens accompanied by tissues.<br><br>There are 135 type specimens in our collection at present. Of these, the largest number (97) are rodents. There are also 6 insectivore, 25 bat, 5 lagomorph, and 2 carnivore holotypes. Lists of the Mammalogy's type specimens have been published by Jones and Genoways (1969) and Jones et al. (1984), although several have been described since. Types have been described from Barbados, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico (14 states), Mozambique, Nicaragua, Philippines, Venezuela, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and from 12 states in the U.S. All type specimens are kept in the designated "type case" at all times. Use of type specimens must be arranged with the curators.<br> <br>There is broad taxonomic coverage, including important holdings of Central and South American marsupials, insectivores, bats, rodents; Holarctic shrews, microtines, squirrels and North American bats, insectivores, carnivores, rodents and lagomorphs.

SEMC (Snow Entomological Museum Collection) comprises nearly 5 million pinned insect specimens. Our strengths are Apoidea, Neotropical Coleoptera (especially Staphylinidae and Hydrophiloidea), Mecoptera, Tiipuloidea, and fossil insects. We have digitized approximately 1,500,000 individual specimens including most of our Apoidea and Staphylinidae, Orthoptera, and various other taxa as well as virtually all new specimens added to the collection since 1995.

The University of Kansas invertebrate paleontology collection is ranked among the top 10 largest fossil invertebrate collections in the country and has over 850,000 fossil invertebrate and microfossil specimens from all over the world, including more than 8,200 type or figured specimens. These specimens have been used for research by paleontologists for over 120 years. The collection has taxonomic strengths in Cambrian trilobites from Antarctica and the Great Basin, United States; Upper Paleozoic invertebrates of the mid-continent; Cambrian soft-bodied faunas from Utah; Mesozoic cephalopods from the mid-continent. Research access to the collections is arranged on a case-by-case basis.

The R. L. McGregor Herbarium houses approximately 400,000 vascular plant specimens. The majority of these comprise exsiccatae, but the collection also includes seed, boxed, and fluid-preserved specimens. The collection is focused on the Central Grassland region of North America, with specimens from the Great Plains comprising approximately two-thirds of the collection. Families with especially strong taxonomic and geographic representation include Asteraceae, Cyperaceae, Fabaceae, Juncaceae, Lemnaceae, Plantaginaceae, and Poaceae.

The R. L. McGregor Herbarium Lichen Collection houses approximately 45,000 specimens of lichens and allied fungi. The collection is focused on the Central Grassland region of North America, with specimens from the Great Plains comprising the majority of the collection.

The paleobotany collections, including several “orphaned” collections, is comprised of compression, impression, petrified, and permineralized specimens from Precambrian to Pleistocene stratigraphic horizons and from various localities around the world. The focus of the collection is currently on Permian, Triassic, and Jurassic fossils from Antarctica (Antarctic Collection), the largest collection of Antarctic fossil plants in the world. Additional material includes Pennsylvanian, Permian, and Cretaceous compression-impression specimens from several localities in eastern and central Kansas and coal balls from the Midcontinent, USA.The Division of Paleobotany was instituted in 1995 when Edith L. Taylor and Thomas N. Taylor moved to the University of Kansas, bringing their extensive collection of fossil plants with them. The Taylor Collection and the Baxter Collection of mostly Kansas coal balls formed the core of the KU Paleobotany collection, but we have acquired other so-called orphaned collections, including portions of the collections of Ted Delevoryas (Triassic of North Carolina; Jurassic of Mexico), Lawrence C. Matten (Devonian of Ireland), Gar W. Rothwell (early seed plants) and Gene Mapes (Pennsylvanian of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas).