Collections & Research

Photo: Rachel Ormiston/Burke Museum
Photo: Rachel Ormiston/Burke Museum

Collections tell the story of life on Earth. Every discovery sheds new light on the past, and helps us better anticipate the future.

The Burke is an active research museum. The more than 18 million biological, geological and cultural objects in its collections are a respected and relied-upon resource for researchers here and around the globe. 

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two women clean whale vertebrae on the beach
Photo: Dennis Wise/University of Washington
Photo: Dennis Wise/University of Washington

Cleaning vertebrae from a Baird's Beaked Whale that washed ashore on the Washington coast.

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a group of four men prepare reptile specimens in a field tent in Ghana
Photo: Courtesy Adam Leaché
Photo: Courtesy Adam Leaché

The Burke is an active research museum with a worldwide reach.

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two women inside of a submarine port hole
Photo: Luke Tornabene/Burke Museum
Photo: Luke Tornabene/Burke Museum

Burke Museum Icthyology team in Roatan, Honduras using the Idabel submarine to look for and collect new species of fishes from deep reefs.

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a group of men drag a heavy fossil contained in its field jacket across the dry desert floor in Montana
Photo: Courtesy Greg Wilson
Photo: Courtesy Greg Wilson

Members of the Paleontology team haul a heavy fossil field jacket containing an extinct semiaquatic reptile called Champsosaurus.

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a young woman presents an object in a workroom while wearing a shirt that reads "Strong, Resilient, Indigenous."
Photo: Cathy Morris/Burke Museum
Photo: Cathy Morris/Burke Museum

The Burke holds deep respect for Indigenous knowledge, and is dedicated to collaborating with communities, sharing collections and learning together.

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a female researcher uses a pick axe on a hillside while collecting fossils
Photo: Courtesy Caroline Strömberg
Photo: Courtesy Caroline Strömberg

A Burke Museum Paleobotany research team in Patagonia.

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a man stands next to a massive log that he split in half with a chainsaw
Photo: Sven Haakanson/Burke Museum
Photo: Sven Haakanson/Burke Museum

George Swanaset Sr. made the first cut in a massive cedar log provided by the Muckleshoot Tribe as he replicates a 130-year-old S.deXwit Canoe from the Burke collection. 

Collections & Research

Students, researchers, artists and community members draw on the collections to build knowledge of our world—and address challenges facing communities in the Pacific Northwest and around the globe.

Collections Databases

Archaeology

The Archaeology Collections reflect how people live through the objects they leave behind.

Bill Holm Center

The Bill Holm Center is the premier center for the study of Native arts of the Pacific Northwest.

Arts & Cultures

The Arts & Cultures Collections reflect living and dynamic cultures. 

Arachnology & Entomology

Specimens of spiders, insects, and allied invertebrates.

Genetic Resources

Frozen tissues from a wide variety of wild animals for current and future research.

Herpetology

Amphibians and reptiles from around the world.

Ichthyology

Preserved fish specimens from around the world.

Malacology

A broad diversity of modern molluscs collected from around the world.

Mammalogy

Mammal specimens from all continents except Antarctica with a strong emphasis in the Pacific Northwest.

Ornithology

Bird study skins, spread wings, bird skeletons, egg sets, nests and frozen tissue samples.

Plants & Fungi

Vascular plants, nonvascular plants, fungi, lichen, and algae.

Minerals

Mineral specimens from all classes and meteorites.

Invertebrate & Micropaleontology

Fossil marine clams, snails, ammonoids, nautiloids and microfossils.

Paleobotany

Fossil leaves, flowers, seeds and fruits, wood, plant microfossils, and fossil insects.

Vertebrate Paleontology

Fossil mammals, birds, dinosaurs, reptiles, amphibians and fishes.

Opportunities

exterior of the burke museum

Collections Study Grants

Collections study grants provide financial assistance for graduate students and post-doctoral researchers to study the collections of the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture (UWBM).

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Online Resources & Projects

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a marmot stands on its hind legs in a prairie Resource

Mammals of Washington

Washington is home to 141 species of mammals. Learn all about their habits and habitats, what they eat, where they live, and more.

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a pressed plant specimen on a herbarium sheet Resource

Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria

More than 2.4 million plant, fungal, lichen, and algal specimen records from the Pacific Northwest.

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close up of a single purple flower in bloom Resource

Plants & Fungi of Washington Image Collection

Images and information about bloom time, habitat, and distribution range for the plants and fungi species that grow wild in Washington state.

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a student and professor look at art together

Our Work

At the Burke, we bring together people, objects, and the stories that make them meaningful.

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Photo: Timothy Kenney/Burke Museum
Photo: Timothy Kenney/Burke Museum