Paleontology

Contact: PD Dr. Michael Rasser

Size and focus of the collection: About 25.000 specimens from the Palaeozoic (especially corals, nautilids, brachiopods, trilobites, crinoids and, to a lesser extent, bivalves and gastropods); 70.000 specimens from the earlier Mesozoic (Triassic), especially cephalopods (ceratitids and nautilids), bivalves, gastropods, brachiopods and echinoderms (crinoids, starfishes and sea urchins) from the Muschelkalk and Keuper of Baden-Württemberg as well as fossils such as corals, bivalves, gastropods, ammonoids, brachiopods and echinoderms) from the alpine Upper Triassic.

Significance of the collection: Palaeozoic: Important collection of published specimens from the "classic", partly unaccessible sites in Europe, especially from Germany. Larger collections come from the Lower Devonian of Bundenbach / Hunsrück and from the Middle Devonian of the Eifel.

Older Mesozoic (Trias): One of the largest special collections from the Muschelkalk and Keuper of Baden-Württemberg; large comparative collections from many sites in Central Europe. Special collections from many "classic" sites of the Alps, especially from the Middle and Upper Triassic of the Dolomites; about 1.000 types and figured specimens; historical special collections, including that of Friedrich von Alberti (1795-1878). The latter focuses on fossils from the Muschelkalk and Keuper of Württemberg, with the figured specimens and types of Alberti´s publications (Friedrich von Alberti 1826: Die Gebirge des Königreichs Würtemberg; Friedrich von Alberti 1834: Beitrag zu einer Monographie des Bunten Sandsteins, Muschelkalks und Keupers und die Verbindung dieser Gebilde zu einer Formation).

Curator: Dr. Günter Schweigert

Size and focus of the collection: Approximately 400.000 from the Lower Jurassic (especially southwestern Germany); approximately 500.000 specimens from the Middle Jurassic (especially southwestern Germany); approximately 400.000 specimens from the Upper Jurassic (Swabian Alb); approximately 10.000 specimens from the Cretaceous (Europe, Middle East); approximately 8.000 types and published specimens.

Significance of the collection: Bed-by-bed collected Jurassic faunas from southwestern Germany (especially ammonites) are outstanding, the examination of which results in more precise correlation and stratigraphy of the Jurassic, and it enlightens the evolution of the ammonites. The corals and their associated fauna from the late Upper Jurassic, which permits the reconstruction of Jurassic reef communities, are also important. The numerous new finds from the Late Jurassic Lithographic Limestone of Nusplingen are unique. Meanwhile, this site ranges among the most important ones of southern Germany. A large collection of invertebrates from the Posidonia Shale (Upper Liassic) supports the importance of the Holzmaden area as fossiliferous site. The collection of published specimens includes 1030 documents of various publications (1845-1888) of F. A. Quenstedt.

Curator: PD Dr. Michael Rasser

Size of the collection: ca. 1,300.000 specimens.

Significance of the collection: The collection mainly consists of molluscs (gastropods and pelecypods) and insects. Other invertebrates, such as echinoderms (sea urchins, starfish), crayfish, corals and sponges, are present in small quantities. The molluscs of the Tertiary and especially of the Quaternary already are quite similar to the present-day forms. Through the knowledge of the environmental requirements of the Recent molluscs their fossil relatives partly become important environmental indicators. This is especially true for the Ice Age with its intense climatic oscillations. Good exposures in Tertiary and Quaternary sediments are less frequent than in Triassic and Jurassic ones and they often are accessible for a short time only. Therefore many collections represent important, irreproducible documents of the younger earth's history.

Contact: Dr. Günter Schweigert

Size and focus of the collection: About 1.000.000 specimens and series. The samples are mainly from the Keuper, Jurassic and Tertiary of southern Germany, as well as from the Triassic of the Alps. Examples include protozoans with a calcareous or siliceous skeleton (foraminifers, radiolarians), ostracodes, sponge spicules, isolated skeletal elements of echinoderms, and conodonts.

Significance of the collection: The basis of the collection mainly includes samples from the Jurassic of Swabia. They come from "classic" sites, which are no longer accessible. The bulk of the material was collected by K. Feifel from 1930 to 1950. Additionally, in the past decades stratified samples from stratotype sections have been collected and prepared, such as thosefrom the Aalenian (Middle Jurassic) of Aalen, the Pliensbachian (Lower Jurassic) of Pliensbach near Zell unter Aichelberg, the Wutach area, and the Middle Miocene (Neogene) of the Steinheim meteor crater. These sample series are precisely dated by the accompanying fauna and therefore represent important reference samples for future research. A part of the material was examined by the scientific staff of the museum and others (publications in the Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde: Hohenegger 1981, Janz 1992, 1994, 1997, Riegraf 1984, Harloff 1993, Harloff und Jäger 1994, Zügel et al 1998).). The published material can be revised within the scope of future research.

Curator: PD Dr. Anita Roth-Nebelsick

Size and focus of the collection: About 25.000 specimens, especially land plants from the Devonian (Palaeozoic) up to the Pleistocene (Cenozoic) of Central Europe, including about 1.500 types and figured specimens. Triassic, Jurassic, Neogene, and Quaternary plants from Württemberg predominate in the collection. For more details see the type catalogue: Csaki, Ch. + Urlichs, M. (1985): Typen und Originale im Staatlichen Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart Paläobotanik.- Stuttgarter Beitr. Naturk., B, no. 114.

Significance of the collection: It includes extensive material from the Keuper of Württemberg, the Upper Jurassic of Nusplingen (Swabian Alb), the Oligocene of Frauenweiler near Wiesloch (Rhine Graben valley), the Miocene of the Randecker Maar (Swabian Alb), and of the Steinheim Basin (Swabian Alb) as well as from various sites in the district of Oberschwaben (e.g., Engelswies near Messkirch) and from the Pleistocene travertines of Stuttgart. Furthermore, from localities outside of Baden-Württemberg, the most important special collections come from the Pliocene of Sessenheim (Alsace) and Willershausen (Harz mountains) are available.

Curator: Dr. Erin Maxwell

Size and focus of the collection: Fishes: ca. 39.000 specimens

Importance of the collection: The oldest specimens of the section are listed in the 1777 catalogue of the Frankfurt physician Pasquay, whose collection later arrived at Stuttgart. This old stock, which is rather interesting for the history of science, was subsequently expanded by large-scale acquisitions in the 19th and 20th centuries. Today the collection includes types and originals from numerous publications as well as originals from the fundamentals in palaeoichthyology of Louis Agassiz "Recherches sur les poissons fossiles", which appeared from 1833 to 1844.

The regional focus of the collection is Baden-Württemberg. Thus the collection is an important basis for everybody who deals with the palaeontology of Baden-Württemberg. It includes important records for the systematics of the corresponding fossil taxa. The stock is supplemented by special collections from outside of the country.

Curator: Prof. Dr. Rainer Schoch

Collection: More than 80.000 objects (particularly amphibians and reptiles of the local formations, e. g. Bunter, Muschelkalk, Keuper and Posidonia Shale). In addition it contains numerous valuable finds of the Mesozoic from all over the world.

Main parts of collection: 

From the State of Baden-Württemberg:

Bunter: Stereospondyl amphibians and prolacertiforms

Muschelkalk: Marine reptiles (nothosaurs, placodonts, ichthyosaurs)

Keuper: Stereospondyl amphibians, terrestrial archosaurs, turtles, aetosaurs, phytosaurs and dinosaurs (Plateosaurus, Sellosaurus, Procompsognathus, Halticosaurus)

Posidonia Shale: Ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, marine crocodiles, sphenodonts

Upper Jurassic: Marine crocodiles

From other localities:

Jurassic and Cretaceous dinosaurs from the USA.

Mammal-like reptiles from South Africa and South America.

Triassic reptiles from the USA, South Africa, South America, and Russia.

Permian and Carboniferous amphibians from Germany

Importance of collection: This is one of the largest and most valuable collections of fossil amphibians and reptiles. It includes some of the most ancient turtles and dinosaurs known at all, the largest amphibians that ever existed, numerous rare plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs with embryos, as well as the historically oldest find of an ichthyosaur stemming from 1749.

Contact: Dr. Eli Amson

Size and focus of the collection: ca. 70.000 specimens (main focus on from sites in Baden-Württemberg)

Significance of the Collection: The Miocene finds of Steinheim a. Albuch, Langenau and Ulm are outstanding, important finds; in addition those from the Early Tertiary of Egypt (Fayum), the Isle of Wight (Great Britain) and the Badlands of the American West, the Late Tertiary of the Isle of Samos (Greece), and Peru.

Contact: Dr. Eli Amson

Size and focus of the collection: ca. 90.000 specimens (main focus on large mammals of the Pleistocene, the Ice Age, of Baden-Württemberg)

Significance of the collection: Included are important collections of classic German Quaternary sites: e.g., Süßenborn, Mosbach, and Steinheim on the Murr. The Steinheim fossils include the holotypes of several species: e.g., Bubalus murrensis, Megaloceros giganteus antecedens and Mammuthus primigenius fraasi. In addtion, there are finds from the travertine of Stuttgart andfinds from numerous caves of the Swabian Alb, including those from the bear cave Hohlenstein in the Lone Valley, Heppenloch near Gutenberg, the Aufhauser Höhle near Geislingen, and the Irpfelhöhle near Giengen. Among the open air sites, the finds from a reindeer hunters' camp Schussenquelle are of special interest for the history of science. The biggest collection of Quaternary mammals comes from the gravel pits of the Upper Rhine area, including ca. 20000 finds. The most outstanding finds are the skulls of the archaic humans from Steinheim and Reilingen. It is assumed that they are ancestors of the Neanderthals.

Contact: Dr. Günter Schweigert, PD Dr. Michael Rasser

Size and focus of the collection: Approximately 30.000 specimens and inclusions (especially arthropods in amber from the Dominican Republic, Lebanon and from the Baltic region), which mainly have been acquired and collected by Dr. D. Schlee in 1976- 1996.

Scientific importance of the collection: One of the most important scientific amber collections with unique inclusions of plants and animals, especially insects. The main focus is a very large collection of amber from the Dominican Republic (Eocene till Miocene), as well as the largest collection of amber from the Lower Cretaceous of Lebanon known thus far. Numerous important specimens, such as the biggest piece of amber in the world from Borneo (Miocene), a bird feather in Lebanon amber (Lower Cretaceous), frogs and reptiles in Dominican amber, specimens with mass catches of insects, as well as the world's largest collection of damselflies and dragonflies in amber.

Contact: PD Dr. Michael Rasser

Size of collection: ca. 6.000 specimens.

Significance of the collection: The collection documents the sedimentary rocks occurring in Germany. These rocks, originating from sediments of the geological past, not only yield the fossils but also many further information on the earth's history. Thus they increase our knowledge obtained from the fossils. Mainly those rock samples are included in the collection, which clarify special processes and environmental conditions. Sedimentary rocks can provide information on the position and character of ancient mainland areas, the way and mechanism of sediment transport, and the mode of sedimentation and thereby on conditions at the place of sedimentation. In this context they also provide information on the climate. To obtain the information contained in the sediments often requires special methods of investigation. The variety of conclusions that can be drawn from this information highlights the diversity of the earth's history. Therefore the section of sedimentary rocks is in demand whenever we deal with the larger-scale contexts of the past.

Contact: Dipl.Min. Franz Xaver Schmidt

Size and focus of the collection: ca. 9.000 specimens.

Regional collection of magmatic rocks, focus on Baden-Württemberg (Black Forest, Odenwald). Tertiary rocks and post-volcanic formations: volcanites of the Swabian Alb, of the Hegau and the Kaiserstuhl; thermal calc-sinter of Böttingen. Impact rocks of the Nördlinger Ries and the Steinheim meteor crater.

Significance of the collection: Reference collection of the magmatic rocks of Baden-Württemberg, partly from sites no longer accessible.

Contact: Dipl.Min. Franz Xaver Schmidt

Size and focus of the collection: More than 30.000 specimens, including 4000 specimens from the Black Forest (ranging from micromount size to very heavy barite specimens; 108 meteorites including aerosiderite from Mukerop, district Gibeon (Southwest Africa, weight ca. 80 kg); extensive collection of fluorspar from all over the world and many mineralogical rarities.

Significance of the collection: For practical reasons the collection is subdivided into find complexes and systematics. The documentation of the mineral resources and ore deposits of the Black Forest are emphasized. Thus it has significantly contributed to the cultural history of Baden-Württemberg. Mining ceased and is an fact of history with the only exception of the Clara mine in the central Black Forest. The scientific documents concerning newly discovered and described minerals are deposited in a separate type collection. Additionally, there are minor regional collections from the Fichtelgebirge, the Bayerischer Wald, the Upper Palatinate (Oberpfalz), the Erzgebirge, and the Harz. The systematic collection houses the most important usable minerals, such as a variety of copious raw materials including many curiosities. Many old mines inland and abroad, from which the exhibits stem, have closed. Therefore they are not only historic treasuries but also mineralogical ones. The collection both reflects the wealth of ore in past times and can be used as a database for future researchers. Moreover, the mineral collection is used by scientists and mineral gatherers as a comparative facility for determination of provenance or mineral.

Remarkable historical single collections: Collection of natural products of the Tübingen professor Gottlieb C. Chr. (acquisition 1819); Russian minerals from the collection of the queens Katharina (acquisition 1818) and Olga of Württemberg (acquisition 1863-65). There is a panoply from gemstone to the common feldspar.