Museums, Est. 1913
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is one of the largest natural and historical museums in the western United States, and is located at 900 Exposition Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1913, it is one of the three members of the Natural History Museum Family, the others being Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits and the William S. Hart Ranch. The collection includes more than 35 million specimens and artifacts, covering 4.5 billion years of the earth's history. On display are items related to Anthropology, Crustacea, Echinoderms, Entomology, History, Invertebrate Paleontology, Malacology, Mammalogy, Mineral Sciences, and Ornithology. Featured in the Anthropology section are archaeological and ethnographic collections that were donated to the museum. The museum’s Entomology collection is the largest in southern California. The History Department primarily focuses on the history of California and the Southwest. A collection of fossils from all major invertebrate groups including Porifera, Mollusca, Bryozoa, and Echinodermata, can be found in the Invertebrate Paleontology section. The Malacology collection in the museum has been ranked third in the nation in terms of numbers of lots and specimens. In addition, it boasts the largest collection of eastern Pacific mollusks in the world. There are about 98,000 research specimens of marine and terrestrial mammals including whole specimens, skulls, skeletons, skins, tanned pelts, and frozen tissue sample in the Mammalogy collection. Included in the Mineral Sciences section are a world-class collection of minerals, rocks, gems, ores, and meteorites. Also, of special significance are the Ichthyology and Herpetology collections. The Ichthyology collection contains a collection of about five million specimens. A collection of more than 156,000 catalogued specimens of amphibians and reptiles from around the globe are represented in the Herpetology section. The museum is well known for its research activities in varied fields of natural and cultural history. It also organizes exhibitions and education programs.
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