The Joshua Laerm Mammalogy Collection contains 25,000 specimens including study skins, skeletal material, and alcohol preserved materials. It was organized in the early 1940s by Eugene P. Odum and his students. There are specimens in the collection that date back to the early 1900's thus providing an historical view of the mammals of the state. The Mammalogy Collection is located both on campus at the Georgia Museum of Natural History and off campus at the Annex. Nicole Pontzer, Collection Manager of the Mammalogy Collection, regularly accepts student interns each semester for BIOL, ECOL, or FNAR 4261 (Museum of Natural History Internship). Items from the Collection Big eared bat Corynorhinus rafinesquii (“Rafinesque's big-eared bat”) is a small species native to the Southeastern United States. This specimen was collected off the coast of Georgia in 1979. Pigmy Sperm Whale Kogia breviceps (“Pigmy sperm whale”) is the most common whale found in Georgia. This specimen was found on Ossabaw Island and was re-articulated by student interns. Eastern spotted skunk Spilogale putorius (“Eastern spotted skunk”) is a small skunk with unique spotted patterning its back. This specimen was collected in Georgia in 1965. Star Nosed Mole Condylura cristata (“Star-nosed mole”) is a small mole found in wet low areas of eastern Canada and the northeastern United States. It is easily identifiable by the twenty-two fleshy appendages ringing its snout. Walrus While Odobenus rosmarus (“Walrus”) is not native to Georgia, it represents the Georgia Museum of Natural History’s expansive collections of mammals, both native to Georgia and beyond.
