UIMNH Mammal Collection
In October 1997 curation and management of the mammal collection of the University of Illinois Museum of Natural History (UIMNH) was transferred to the
Illinois Natural History Survey. The UIMNH collection contained more than 61,000 specimens, including 20 holotypes, and in 1987 was ranked as
the eleventh largest mammal collection in North America. Geographic emphasis of the collection was primarily Illinois and the midwest and also included the
southwestern U.S. and Mexico. Former curator and UIMNH director Donald F. Hoffmeister was a major figure in the field of mammalogy, and the collection
contains many specimens on which his books "Mammals of Arizona" (1986) and "Mammals of Illinois" (1989) were based.
In May 2006, the collection was orphaned and subsequently divided between the following institutions:
Brigham Young University (BYU),
The Field Museum (FMNH),
Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS),
and Museum of Southwestern Biology (MSB).
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