How big are the Australian Museum collections?
After collecting for more than 175 years, the Australian Museum collections are immense. They include over five million insects, one million fishes, 100,000 mammals and birds, over one million archaeological items, 111,000 ethnographic objects and over 70,000 rocks and minerals. The collections of Australian origin are the largest of such collections in the world.
David Britton, collection manager, looking at butterflies in the Australian Museum Entomology collection. Photo: P Ovenden, Australian Museum
Jude Philp, anthropologist, with canoes from the Australian Museum Pacific collection. Photo: S Humphreys, Australian Museum
Ross Pogson, collection manager, holding quartz crystals from the Australian Museum Mineral collection. Photo: C Bento, Australian Museum
Mark McGrouther, collection manager, holding a Leopard Shark in the Australian Museum Fish Collection. Photo: S Humphreys, Australian Museum
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