The State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe is an institution of the state of Baden-Württemberg, with a staff of currently 57 permanent employees. It has emerged from the cabinet of natural history of Karoline Luise, Margravine of Baden and is open to the public since 1785. Permanent and temporary exhibitions extending to 5000 m2 provide the basis for manifold educational activities. Living animals are integrated into the permanent exhibition, a 240,000 l seawater tank with a living coral reef and reef sharks being a major attraction for the public. Zoological research at the museum mainly deals with biodiversity, i.e., taxonomy, faunistics, biogeography, natural history, and ecology. It is strongly based on museum collections but also on field sampling in soil ecological studies. The zoological collections incorporate about 8.5 million specimens, mostly terrestrial, but also a mollusk collection (Conchylia) of historical importance and the Kiefer collection of fresh water Copepoda. Important collections are on Arachnida, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Mantodea, as well as small mammals from Baden-Württemberg and large series of mammal skulls from West Africa. Biogeographic emphases are on the fauna of Southwestern Germany, the Middle East (Iran, Afghanistan), the Indo-Australian region and the Neotropics. |
