Invertebrate Zoology and Geology
IZG Highlights
Welcome to the Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Geology. Our curators conduct research in their areas of specialty - systematics and phylogeny of octocorals, opisthobranch mollusks, echinoderms, and paleontology. Additionally, they oversee the preservation and maintenance of the specimen collections with the assistance of two senior collection managers and their curatorial assistants. The collections of the department are the most diverse within the Academy, containing over two and a half million specimens.
Over 150 years of Research
News
In May, 2009, collection manager Bob Vansyoc and curator Gary Williams traveled to Egypt and the Red Sea with a delegation including scientists from the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in...
Dr. Robert Van Syoc joined five other speakers and hundreds of other scientists from around the world for the “New Perspectives on Barnacle Research” symposium...
Gary Williams, curator of Invertebrate Zoology ... astounding specimens ... coral that grew on Eniwetok Atoll before a nuclear bomb was tested there in 1952.
Chemical Defense and Evolution of Opisthobranch Gastropods by Guido Cimino and Michael T. Ghiselin. 25 September 2009....
Mapping Research
Invertebrate Zoology and Geology
IZG maintains four major collections: Recent invertebrates, fossils (invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants), diatoms (fossil and Recent), and minerals.
FAQs
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I think I've found a meteorite/dinosaur bone/fossil. How can I tell if it's real? Or can I bring it in and have somebody look at it?
It will save you a trip if you can take a couple of pictures of your specimen and send them to us via e-mail or as prints in the regular mail. You are welcome to drop specimens off at the Academy’s Naturalist Center, where they will be identified by CAS scientists. In some cases, you can make an appointment to talk to someone on staff about your specimen.
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Where are the mineral/gem/fossil exhibits in the Academy?
The Academy's new bulding "breathes," and the temperature and humidity inside the display areas usually reflect the conditions outside. Most natural history specimens cannot be displayed under these circumstances, and specially environmentally-controlled cases must be built for the main floor. This may happen gradually, as the Academy exhibitions mature and change.
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Where else can I go to see minerals and fossils on exhibit?
The California State mineral collection, which used to be on display in the Ferry Building in S.F., is in Mariposa, near Yosemite. It is displayed at the County Fairgrounds, in the care of California State Parks. It is unknown at this time whether that park will survive the State's government shutdown schedule. There are a few minerals on display at UC Berkeley and Stanford, but no organized exhibits. The closest good big mineral and fossil displays are at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History.
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Are the CAS IZG collections open to non-staff for study?
Yes, the collections are available for study by qualified researchers by appointment. Contact the Collection Managers or Curators for details.
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Where can I go to collect minerals/fossils?
In the Bay Area, most potential collecting sites are on private land or in a county/state/federal park, where collecting is not allowed. We suggest you join your local gem and mineral society (there are lots of them in Northern California and elsewhere) or take a class at the nearest university or community college. Those groups often take field trips to local sites of geologic interest, where collecting is allowed. And learning some geology along the way makes it more fun!
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Who can borrow specimens from the IZG collections?
Any qualified research scientist, including students, with an institutional affiliation is eligible to borrow specimens. Final approval of any loan is at the discretion of the Collection Managers and Curators of IZG. However, most eligible loan requests are approved.
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How may I request a loan?
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Is the collection data available online?
Yes. Please follow this link.
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Have a question about a strange animal or unusual natural occurrence?
Please direct it to our Naturalist Center.
Upcoming Events
The Summer Systematics Institute, a hands-on, collections-based summer research program in evolutionary biology and the Internship in Biological Illustration are for undergraduate college/university students who are U.S. citizens or resident aliens. Learn more.