Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History

peabody

at a glance

Student working at the digitization station in the Invertebrate Paleontology Division.

Peabody Collections Manager reviewing specimens with undergraduates in the Vertebrate Zoology Division.

Yale undergraduates working in the Entomology Division.

Director’s WelcomeNow more than ever, the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History is inspiring new generations of scholars, scientists, and enthusiasts of the natural world. Whether your interest is dinosaurs, birds, the history of human culture, gems and minerals, insects and plants, or the wonders of our universe, the treasures housed within the collections throughout the museum greatly enhance teaching and learning, and often are the keys to important scientifi c discoveries.

The Peabody Museum is one of the oldest and largest university-based natural history muse-ums, with more than 13 million objects housed in 10 different divisions and representing more than 4 billion years of geological, biological, and human history. These collections are historically important, and all are in active use by scholars from Yale and elsewhere. Museums and the expertise that sur-rounds them are vibrant elements of Yale’s culture of scholarship and teaching. The kinds of ques-tions we can ask of objects has exploded with the availability of new analytical techniques. Similarly, ‘big data’ approaches are now allowing us to reveal never-before-seen patterns in collections. Reach-ing beyond the Yale campus, our connection to the public remains strong. We welcome over 150,000 visitors to the Museum each year, including tens of thousands of school children who benefi t from programs ranging from staff-led tours and lectures to a college preparatory-focused afterschool pro-gram.

This brochure provides an overview of the Museum, its mission, and prospects. We highlight in particular our plans to renovate our galleries to increase our capacity to support Yale’s teaching and research efforts. We are excited about the future of the Peabody, and we welcome the chance to dis-cuss opportunities to support the Museum in achieving its potential.

We look forward to your visit!

David K. SkellyDirector, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History

Yale Peabody Museum MissionThe mission of the Peabody Museum is to serve Yale University by advancing our understanding of earth’s history through geological, biological, and anthropological research, and by communicating the results of this research to the widest possible audience through publi-cation, exhibition, and educational programs. Fundamental to this mission is stewardship of the Museum’s rich collections, which provide a remarkable record of the history of the earth, its life, and its cultures. Conservation, augmentation, and use of these collections become increasingly urgent as modern threats to the diversity of life and culture continue to intensify.

Approved by the Corporation of Yale University, February 25, 1995

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The Peabody’s Entomology collections comprise over one million curated specimens, including these exotic New World Morpho butterflies.

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The Peabody Museum of Natural History:A Unique and Historic Institution

The Peabody is one of the oldest and largest university

natural history museums in the world. The presence

of its spectacular collections within a major research

university continues to lead to groundbreaking

discoveries. Its academic foundation is built upon

the exploration and scholarly work of Yale Professor

O.C. Marsh, the first professor of paleontology in

North America.

The Peabody houses several internationally important collections, most notably our paleontology collections, which are the third largest and rank among the most historically important fossil collections in the nation. Not only can these collections be accessed by visiting the Museum, but the Peabody’s substantial online catalog makes digital images of more than 341,000 specimens, artifacts, and objects available to scholars and the public around the world.

The Peabody also o≠ers dynamic educational pro-grams for the regional community. Approximately 25,000 school children visit each year and many participate in programs such as “Evolutions,” a free afterschool

program for high-school students that focuses on science literacy and college preparation, and SciCORPS, a sci- ence career orientation program. The Peabody Fellows Programs o≠er a suite of professional development opportunities for K-12 teachers, from multi-day summer institutes to workshops during the academic year.

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Yale Peabody scientists have clarified how carbon dioxide escapes minerals deep inside the Earth and then enters the planet’s atmosphere, a significant step in the planet’s natural carbon cycle. Deeper insight into this process helps more accurately assess how hu-mans are altering carbon’s movement and affecting the planet’s climate. (2014)

Peabody researchers found evidence in microscopic fish teeth that fish abun-dance in the Pacific Ocean remained high during the massive die-off of ocean life 66 million years ago known as the Cretaceous-Paleo-gene extinction. (2014)

Research from Yale anthro-pologists shows that the

ancestor of the modern African monkeys was alive 3 million years earlier than previously thought and coexisted with members of a now-extinct branch of the monkey family tree. (2013)

Geologic processes can af-fect evidence of the original color of fossil feathers, Yale scientists have shown, meaning that previous rep-resentations of fossil bird and dinosaur feathers may need revision. The research illustrates that melanin-based colors can be altered during fossilization. (2013)

A team led by Yale research-ers constructed a detailed evolutionary history of the 18,000 species of spiny-rayed fishes that comprise nearly one-third of all living

vertebrates. Even as dino-saurs became extinct 65 million years ago, spiny-rayed fish flourished widely. (2013)

The common ancestor of more than 5,000 contem-porary placental mammals, from whales to humans, was a small insect-eating mammal described by a global team of research-ers that included Peabody scientists. (2013)

Peabody scientists showed that fundamental differ-ences in the distribution of landmasses and climate in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres impacted the evolutionary history of conifers. (2012)

Researchers at Yale identi-fied the fossils of Conio-phis precedens, the most primitive known snake. The “missing link” among snakes, it suggests that snakes descended from ter-restrial rather than marine ancestors. (2012)

Top predators and herbi-vores have strong effects on many species. In a warm-ing world, their extinction will cause a ripple effect of biodiversity loss, multiply-ing extinciton rates along the way. (2012)

By deciphering microscopic clues hidden within fossils, Yale scientists revealed the vibrant colors that adorned a feathered dinosaur (Anchiornis), extinct for 150 million years, and produced the first complete recon-struction of the plumage

of an extinct animal. (2010)

Groundbreaking Research and Scientific Advances

An ammonite from the Peabody’s collections

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A newly discovered species of a winged dinosaur was named Rahonavis ostromi in honor of Yale paleontologist John Ostrom, one of the first scientists to show that modern-day birds are living dinosaurs. (1998)

The Peabody Museum was among the first museums to create a comprehensive online catalog of its hold-ings. (1992)

Charles G. Sibley and John Ahlquist presented a new classification of modern birds based on molecular comparisons. (1990)

The discovery of the dino-saur Deinonychus by John Ostrom renewed attention to the relationship between birds and dinosaurs, led to the 20th-century dinosaur renaissance, and inspired the movie Jurassic Park. (1964)

G. Evelyn Hutchinson, former honorary curator, based his concept of the ecological niche partly on specimens in the Yale Peabody Museum. (1957)

The Age of Reptiles mural, completed by Rudolph Zallinger in 1947, was fea-tured on the cover of Life magazine, inspiring genera-tions of science enthusiasts around the world. (1953)

The Peabody Museum was the first university natural history museum to estab-lish a public education department. (1925)

Hiram Bingham iii carried out the first major excava-tion at Machu Picchu in Peru. (1912)

O.C. Marsh’s expeditions to the American West resulted in the discovery of many iconic dinosaurs including

Brontosaurus, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Allosaurus, and Torosaurus. The Peabody Museum was the first uni-versity museum to display a mounted dinosaur. (1901)

Charles Darwin said that O.C. Marsh’s discovery of birds with teeth, and the forerunners of the mod-ern horse, were “the best evidence for evolution” since the publication of The Origin of Species. (Darwin to Marsh, August 31, 1880)

Benjamin Silliman’s report on the Weston Meteorite, the first recorded fall of a meteorite in the Western Hemisphere (1807), and his display of the Gibbs Mineral Collection (1811), established Yale as a center of science early in the 19th century.

The Peabody Museum, a leader in the develop-ment of best practices and standards for natural history collections management, hosted the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections annual meeting in 2012.

Michael DiGiorgio www.natureartists.com/michael_digiorgio.asp

O.C. Marsh’s scientific expedition

Hiram Bingham iii

Anchiornis

Museum Milestonesand Scientific Legacy

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Collections and Field WorkThanks to the far-ranging explorations of legendary Yale scientists from earlier generations, together with the on-going work of today’s distinguished curators, the Peabody’s collections include more than 13 million objects and are growing rapidly. These specimens and artifacts will provide the material basis for scholarship and education in perpetuity. Included in the collections are thousands of “type specimens” — many more than in peer museums of comparable size. A type specimen is the particular speci-men chosen by a scientist when naming a new species or genus. It is essential for type specimens to be placed in museums as references for comparison by future scien-tists. The Peabody has over 100,000 type specimens which have been published in scientific literature. Examples range from the large Brontosaurus to much smaller invertebrate specimens such as trilobites from Beecher’s Trilobite Bed, named for Charles E. Beecher, the first inver-tebrate paleontologist at Yale. Access to type specimens is critical for publishing new research and thus is of primary importance to scholars.

Sites of Peabody Museum Field Work

Bulletin of the Peabody MuseumIn publication since 1925, the Bulletin publishes original research in the natural science disciplines represented by the collections of the Yale Peabody Museum’s curatorial divisions.

Yale University Publications in AnthropologyThe YUPA monograph series publishes the results of research conducted or directed by the Yale Department of Anthropology and the Yale Peabody Museum.

The Verrill Medal Awarded by the Peabody Museum’s Board of Curators, the Verrill Medal recognizes outstanding achievement in the natural sciences. It was established in 1959 to honor Addison Emery Verrill (1839–1926), Yale University’s first professor of zoology and one of the nineteenth century’s great zoologists. Past recipients include Ernst Mayr, George Gaylord Simpson, G. Ledyard Stebbins, G. Evelyn Hutchin-son, John H. Ostrom, Peter Raven, E. O. Wilson, and Alison F. Richard.

A Yale fi eld work expedition conducted by undergraduate students and the Vertebrate Fossils Collection Manager

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The Peabody’s dinosaur skeletons represent some of the more than 13 million objects housed in the Museum.

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Focusing on the Peabody’s historic fossil collections, the

renovated galleries will celebrate 500 million years of evolution.

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The Fossil Hall Restoration: Contemporary Displays for the Hall of Dinosaurs and Hall of Mammals

Renovating the Peabody’s Dinosaur and Mammal Halls,

known together as the Fossil Halls, is the Museum’s

highest priority. These spaces host some of the most

famous and spectacular dinosaur skeletons known, along

with other remarkable specimens. Restoring these iconic

spaces to support teaching and enhance public engagement

will greatly increase the Museum’s ability to carry out its

mission.

During the decades since the fossil halls were last up-dated, our understanding of both the Earth’s past and of prehistoric life has undergone revolutionary advances. Even though key aspects of the transformative research were carried out by Peabody scientists, our current galler-ies do not reflect modern understanding nor do they take advantage of new technology that enables interactivity with exhibits.

The renovated halls will provide a spectacular setting for one of the finest displays of fossils in the world. The creation of associated teaching spaces will bring the gal-leries, the collections, and the expertise of our scientists and staff together to create a world-class learning envi-

ronment. The halls will continue to celebrate the murals of Rudolph Zallinger: The Age of Reptiles, for which he re-ceived a Pulitzer Award; and The Age of Mammals. Donor support will be essential to restoring the Peabody’s Fossil Halls.

(Note: Fossil Hall illustrations are general renderings and may not reflect the final design.)

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The Hall of Minerals, Earth and Space is designed to foster an appreciation for the wonders of our planet. It is a journey from the formation of the solar system, featuring the Museum’s world-renowned meteorite collection, through the history of the dynamic geologic processes that have shaped the earth we know, with a special focus on the geologic history of southern New England. A dazzling array of specimens from the mineralogical collections together with spectacular gemstones amply illustrate the wonders of our natural world.

The Great Hall of Dinosaurs is the centerpiece of the Peabody Museum, along with the adja-cent Mammal Hall. Together, these Fossil Halls feature skeletons from the Museum’s world-renowned paleontology collections as well as Rudolph Zallinger’s famous murals: The Age of Reptiles and The Age of Mammals.

The Discovery Room is one of the most popular destinations at the Yale Peabody Museum, visited by more than 60,000 people each year. Full of touchable specimens and hands-on activities, the Discovery Room also houses interesting live animals from both around the world and right in your own backyard — endangered poison dart frogs from South America, giant hissing cockroaches from Madagascar, tropical leaf- cutter ants from Trinidad, a bearded dragon from Australia, and harmless eastern milk and rat snakes from New England.

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Permanent Galleries and Attractions First FloorThe Great Hall of Dinosaurs Hall of Mammalian EvolutionHall of Human OriginsHall of Native American Cultures

Second FloorThe Discovery RoomTorosaurus—A Peabody Dinosaur

Third FloorHall of Minerals, Earth and SpaceNorth American DioramasBirds of ConnecticutSouthern New England DioramasConnecticut Native AmericansDaily Life in Ancient Egypt

Exterior Torosaurus SculptureCretaceous GardenMetasequoia (Dawn Redwood Tree)

Permanent CollectionsAnthropologyBotanyEntomology Historical Scientific Instruments Invertebrate PaleontologyInvertebrate ZoologyMineralogy and MeteoritcsPaleobotanyVertebrate PaleontologyVertebrate Zoology

InformaticsThe Peabody Museum’s Informatics program is a leader in specimen digitization, automated georeferencing, and networked access to collection data. The Informatics pro-gram adds value to the collections by leveraging rapidly changing technology in all areas of ongoing research for the benefit of the Museum and the broader scientific community.

Representative Temporary ExhibitionsSamurai and the Culture of Japan’s Great Peace (2015)From Billions to Zero: An Anniversry of Extinction (2014)Farmers, Warriors, Builders: The Hidden Life of Ants (2014)Tiny Titans: Dinosaur Eggs and Babies (2014)Echoes of Egypt (2013) Seasons of Change (2012)Big Food: Health, Culture and the Evolution of Eating (2012) X-Ray Vision: Fish Inside Out (2011–2012) Invasion of the Bloodsuckers (2011–2012)Black Holes: Space Warps & Time Twists (2010–2011) Coffee: The World in Your Cup (2010) Darwin: 150 Years of Evolutionary Thinking (2009) Sustainable Choices (2009) Jungles: Photographs by Frans Lanting (2008–2009) Las Artes de Mexico (2008) Travels in the Great Tree of Life (2008–2009)Seeing Wonders: The Nature of Fly Fishing (2007–2008)International Wildlife Photographer of the Year (2007) Alien Earths (2006–2007) The Biodiversity of Crete (2005–2006) Machu Picchu: Unveiling the Mystery of the Incas (2005–2006)In Search of Giant Squid (2004) Hatching the Past (2004) The Burgess Shale: Evolution’s Big Bang (2003)

Electronic Database and ArchivesThe Museum’s collections management system, which is shared by all divisions, contains more than 5.7 million database records and affiliated multimedia files. In addition to the database, the Peabody maintains an extensive and rich archive of materials related not only to the history of the Museum, the individuals involved in its founding, and the early days of its collections, but also to the early history of higher education in the natural sciences in the United States, especially in paleontology.

Cryo FacilityThe Cryo Collection is a facility for preserving tissues and genomic samples in ultra-cold conditions, which is shared by the Peabody’s divisions.

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The Peabody Museum’s main entrance

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Jay J. AgueCurator of Mineralogy & MeteoriticsDepartment of Geology & Geophysics

Paola BertucciAssistant Curator of Historical Scientific InstrumentsDepartment of History

Derek E.G. Briggs Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology Department of Geology & Geophysics

Richard L. BurgerCurator of AnthropologyDepartment of Anthropology

Leo W. BussCurator of Invertebrate ZoologyDepartment of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Oswaldo ChinchillaAssistant Curator of Anthropology Department of Anthropology

Peter CraneCurator of PaleobotanySchool of Forestry & Environmental Studies

John C. Darnell Curator of AnthropologyDepartment of Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations

Michael J. DonoghueCurator of BotanyDepartment of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Michael R. DoveCurator of AnthropologySchool of Forestry & Environmental Studies

Jacques A. GauthierCurator of Vertebrate Paleontology & Vertebrate ZoologyDepartment of Geology & Geophysics

Andrew HillCurator of Anthropology & Vertebrate Paleontology Department of Anthropology

Pincelli M. HullAssistant Curator of Invertebrate PaleontologyDepartment of Geology & Geophysics

Roderick J. McIntoshCurator of AnthropologyDepartment of Anthropology Leonard E. MunstermannCurator of EntomologySchool of Public Health

Thomas J. NearAssociate Curator of Vertebrate ZoologyDepartment of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Richard O. PrumCurator of Vertebrate Zoology Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Eric J. SargisCurator of Vertebrate Paleontology & Vertebrate ZoologyDepartment of Anthropology

David K. SkellyDirector, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural HistoryCurator of Vertebrate ZoologySchool of Forestry & Environmental Studies

Anne P. Underhill Curator of AnthropologyDepartment of Anthropology

The ten divisions charged with the care of the more than 13 million specimens housed in the Peabody Museum are overseen by a board of twenty curators who are Yale University faculty members with a primary appointment in an academic department. The exceptional collections in their care are at the heart of University teaching, the interdisciplinary studies of researchers from around the world, and Museum exhibitions that communicate the importance and excitement of studying the earth’s history and diversity.

The Board of Curators (as of 2015)

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Museum Statistics Visitors 150,000

Members 2,200

Volunteers 225

Visitors from regional schools 25,000

Approximate number of specimens 100,000 added to collection

U.S. states with active fieldwork 49 [2010–2015]

Countries with active fieldwork 65 [2010–2015, all continents]

Outgoing Research loans 216

Incoming Research loans 26

Research visitors to the collections 323

Collection tours 272

Yale students working 76 in the collections

Yale dissertations based on 12 Peabody collections

Publications based on Peabody 115 collections

Publications by Peabody 174 curators and sta≠

(Average annual figures unless otherwise noted)

Museum SpecimensSpecimens 13 million+

Type specimens 100,000+

Specimens electronically catalogued 4.8 million

Save America’s Treasures awards grant to help preserve the first-found dinosaur fossilsThe Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History received a grant in 2011 to re-house and secure the long-term preservation of the collections of dinosaur fossils that O.C. Marsh brought back from the American West in the 19th-century—including the remains of such well-known dinosaurs as Brontosaurus, Allosaurus, Stegosaurus, and Triceratops. The Museum was one of nine recipients of a Save America’s Treasures Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The $450,000 award to Yale was one of the largest.

Federal Grants for the PeabodyIn the period 2000–2014, the Peabody Museum received more than $16.7 million in federal grant support from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Aeronautics & Space Administration, Save America’s Treasures, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Key Facts and Figures

6% National Aeronautics & Space Administration; Save America’s Treasures; National Endowment for the Humanities

54% National Science Foundation

26% National Institutes of Health

14% Institute of Museum and Library Services

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Peabody Museum Leadership CouncilDavid Adler Woodbridge, CT

Foster Bam Greenwich, CT

Edward P. Bass Fort Worth, TX

Frederick Bay New York, NY

C.R. Beesley Mount Vernon, NY

John J. Flynn, Jr. Briarcliff Manor, NY

David Friend Boston, MA

Jorge Gamarci Underhill, VT

Alan J. Ginsberg New York, NY

Carolyn B. Greenspan Wallingford, CT

John A. Hawkinson Easton, MD

Shawn A. Levy Los Angeles, CA

Thomas E. Lovejoy McLean, VA

Elizabeth R. Phelps Greenwich, CT

Stanford N. Phelps Greenwich, CT

Alison F. Richard Middle Haddam, CT

Marshall S. Ruben Wallingford, CT

Marion Schwartz Canandaigua, NY

Ivan Selin Washington, DC

Nina Selin Washington, DC

B. Benjamin Zucker New York, NY

Administrative LeadershipDavid K. SkellyDirector203.432.3752 david.skelly@yale.edu

Susan CastaldiDirector of Finance & Administration203.432.3757 susan.castaldi@yale.edu

Eliza ClevelandDirector of External Relations203.432.3452 eliza.cleveland@yale.edu

Richard KisselDirector of Public Programs203.432.3798 richard.kissel@yale.edu

Monty ShepardsonDirector of Development203.432.0175 monty.shepardson@yale.edu

Tim WhiteDirector of Collections and Operations203.432.3767 russell.white@yale.edu

The Peabody Leadership Council is a group of distin-guished volunteers who are Yale alumni, parents, friends, and professional colleagues with an interest in natural history. Council members are informed, influential, and philanthropic individuals from across the country with a deep personal commitment to advance the strategic vision of the Museum. Members of the Peabody Leadership Council serve as supporters of the Museum’s mission to advance knowledge and understanding of Earth’s history, life, and cultures. They comprise the core of the museum’s development activities and act as advocates of the museum’s academic activities.

Peabody Museum Leadership Council and Administrative Contacts

26% National Institutes of Health

(as of June 2015)

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Supporting the Peabody Museum

Support for Students in Yale CollegeThe Peabody is actively seeking funds, both current-use and endowment resources, to coordinate the work of the students across ten divisions and to strengthen the use of the Peabody’s collections as part of Yale’s teach-ing mission. Examples include staff support, sponsoring workshops, short courses, visiting lectures, group trips, and other co-curricular activities designed to connect student experiences more closely with the Museum’s staff and collections.

The Peabody Museum Structure and BudgetAs a department of Yale University, the Peabody employs approximately 60 full-time and 15 part-time staff. About 78% of the Peabody’s annual budget is provided by the University in the form of funds for general operations and income from restricted endowments which support specific programs and collections. Each year, however, the Peabody must raise the remaining 22% of funding necessary to operate the Museum and advance our academic mission. Many of the Peabody’s most success-ful science and outreach programs operate year-to-year with funds from gifts and grants, which must be secured annually in order for the programs to continue.

Planned GivingWith a planned giving strategy, you can put your assets to work for the Peabody Museum—while you and the University share in the benefits. Donors regularly use giving vehicles such as bequests, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, and other options to benefit all areas of Yale University including the Peabody Museum.

Corporate and Foundation GivingThe Museum’s Corporate and Foundation partners pro-vide vital support for all areas with particular emphasis on the exhibitions and educational programs that draw more than 150,000 visitors, scholars and local residents each year. The Museum welcomes opportunities to discuss the interests of corporations and foundations wishing to explore complementary ideas and goals.

For more information, please contact Monty Shepardson at 203.432.0175 or visit www.yale.edu/give.

Giving OpportunitiesDonors to the Peabody actively support the Museum’s most important needs in any given fiscal year. Since a sizeable percentage of the Peabody’s annual budget comes from outside sources, gift support at all levels is especially critical.

Renovation of the Fossil HallsHall of Dinosaurs $15 millionHall of Mammals $10 millionDinosaur Hall Mezzanine $5 millionBrontosaurus $5 millionStegosaurus/Allosaurus $3 millionArchelon/Tylosaurus $3 million Megacerops: Packs and Prey $3 millionYale’s Magnificent Mastodon $3 millionT. rex/Torosaurus/Triceratops $2 million Moropus: A Beastly Browser $2 millionPteranodon: Rookery $1 millionLarge Centerpiece Case Display $1 millionMedia Table $500,000

Donors providing support between $100,000 - $500,000 may be recognized among approximately 30 cases displaying unique and special natural history wonders. Examples include: Connecticut Flora and Fauna, Burgess Shale, Xiphactinus, and Deinonychus.

Peabody Program Funds Expendable gifts at all levels are essential for the activities below. Alternatively, a gift of $100,000 or more will cre-ate an endowed fund for one of these programs:

Peabody Public Education ProgramsPeabody Student InternshipsPeabody Curators and Visiting ScholarsPeabody Collections – Acquisitions and ConservationPeabody Exhibitions and DisplaysPeabody Technological InnovationPeabody Events

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© 2015 Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University 06/15 1 M | Printed on 30% recycled, postconsumer-waste paper

This German astrolabe from 1537 was used to measure the movement of stars and planets.

Cover Illustration: Rendering of the renovated Great Hall of DinosaursBack Cover: The Age of Reptiles, a mural by Rudolph F. Zallinger© 1990, 2001 Peabody Museum of Natural History

170 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, Connecticut 06511

www.peabody.yale.edu