The Collection
Size of the collection: ca. 1,300.000 specimens.
The dataset "Fossile Invertebrates (Tertiary and Quaternary)" features a small subsample of the total collection which mainly consists of molluscs (gastropods and pelecypods) and insects. Other invertebrates, such as echinoderms (sea urchins, starfish), crayfish, corals and sponges, are present in small quantities. The molluscs of the Tertiary and especially of the Quaternary already are quite similar to the present-day forms. Through the knowledge of the environmental requirements of the Recent molluscs their fossil relatives partly become important environmental indicators. This is especially true for the Ice Age with its intense climatic oscillations. Good exposures in Tertiary and Quaternary sediments are less frequent than in Triassic and Jurassic ones and they often are accessible for a short time only. Therefore many collections represent important, irreproducible documents of the younger earth's history.
Data Project and Service
The Ministry for Science, Research and the Arts in Baden-Württemberg supported inventory, digitalisation and online access of the collections. Technical support is provided by the Stabsstelle IT & Biodiversitätsinformatik of the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart.
The Dataset "Fossile Invertebrates (Tertiary and Quaternary) at the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart" and – if not stated otherwise – its supporting files have been copyrighted © 2024- by the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart.