Mammal collections

The historical collection includes 214 specimens, including osteological specimens and naturalized taxidermied specimens, while the study collection has about 1,600 specimens. The latter, recovered already deceased and entrusted to the museum, include species of special significance such as the wild cat ( Felis silvestris), the wolf (Canis lupus), the golden jackal (Canis aureus) and the otter (Lutra lutra). In totale, sono state identificate 140 specie, pari al 22% di quelle europee e al 49% di quelle italiane.

The collections of small mammals in skins (“microteriological”) collect 2,337 specimens, of which 1,516 are determined at the species level. These are species of the orders Eulipotyphla (formerly insectivorous) and Rodentia. Come nel caso delle collezioni erpetologiche, diversi esemplari sono stati oggetto di indagini genetiche e morfometriche in collaborazione con vari enti.

In addition to these collections, there is an osteological collection of small mammals obtained from Strigiform boles, consisting of both study finds resulting from the Museum’s research and donations from Luis Nider, Paolo Boldreghini, and Lino Casini. Analysis of the wads provides valuable information on the microfauna present in the territories explored by raptors during hunting. The collection includes about 20,000 bone finds, mainly skulls and mandibles, belonging to at least 10 species including Soricomorphs and Rodents, collected in different provinces of Emilia-Romagna and in the Po Delta, between the Rovigo and Ferrara areas.