About "The Paleontological Collections at the Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie"

The Collection

The paleontological and geological collections at the Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie (Bavarian State Collection for Palaeontology and Geology, BSPG) comprise more than 2 million objects. Most are fossils; but magmatic, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks are also present in large numbers. In addition, the collections encompasses numerous small objects such as microfossils. Vertebrate and invertebrate fossils from Bavaria and neighboring areas form the core of the collection. For instance, important collections of fossils are derived from the Jurassic Solnhofen Limestone, else from the Jurassic of Franconian and Suebian Alb, the Mesozoic of the Alps, the Cenozoic Molasse Basin (southern Germany), or the Devonian Bundenbach-Schiefer. Moreover, important collections of fossils from other areas are present, e. g., Greece, Egypt, Australia, Pakistan, Iran, South Africa, and the U.S. (Texas). The collection is largely organized according to systematics. It contains a large number of type specimens, e.g. the type material of von Münster’s (1841) monograph on the fauna of the Triassic Cassian Formation or many types of the Petrefacta Germaniae (Goldfuss 1826-44). Of particular, world renowned interest are vertebrate fossils like the first bird Archaeopteryx, the small dinosaur Compsognathus and the worlds' largest collection of pterosaurs, the numerous type specimens of bony fishes from the Jurassic and the complete skeleton of the fossil elephant Gomphotherium.

Data Project and Service

The data project "The Paleontological Collections at BSPG" was established by the curator team of the BSPG, especially by Alex Nützel and Gertrud Rössner. It is work in progress, with the aim to make our collections accessible for the public, and originally was focused on the type specimens. "The Paleontological Collections at BSPG" uses Diversity Workbench components. The taxonomy and nomenclature follows The Paleobiology Database and other sources such as the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology.

Currently the data project "The Paleontological Collections at BSPG" is set up without any support from external funding agencies. It is maintained and expanded by staff members of the Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie. A newly set up project is focusing on the fossil fishes of the BSPG and is supported by a DFG-grant for 3 years (2013-2015). It is run by Andrea Schwarz and Dr. Markus Moser (BSPG). The particulars about this project are found here. Notices of errors of any kind are much appreciated by the editorial staff here. Technical support is provided by the Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns, IT Center.

The Database "The Paleontological Collections at BSPG" and – if not stated otherwise – its supporting files have been copyrighted © 2010–2024 Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie.