Museum of Biological Diversity at Ohio State University

Museum of Biological Diversity at Ohio State University We are dedicated to the preservation, documentation & scientific study of biodiversity. Our collecti

The Museum of Biological Diversity (MBD) is a research facility in the Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology (http://eeob.osu.edu) of The Ohio State University (http://www.osu.edu) and houses all of the university's biological collections, except fossils. As a dedicated research facility, the Museum is not regularly open to the public. However, once a year during our Annual Open House, we invite the public to tour our facilities and to interact with the faculty, staff and students. The collections also host visits of groups or individuals by appointment only.

09/25/2026
09/08/2026
09/08/2026

Some people have made outsized contributions to the knowledge of insects. Check out Dr. Johnson's latest Bug Spray post. https://go.osu.edu/plaumann

Yesterday’s What’s that Specimen? scaley tail picture belongs to the Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake! The massasauga is c...
08/21/2026

Yesterday’s What’s that Specimen? scaley tail picture belongs to the Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake! The massasauga is currently endangered in Ohio and threatened throughout the US and Canada. Although they are venomous, massasauga bites are rare since they would prefer to stay out of sight of people and predators.

You are much more likely to be helped by one of these snakes instead of hurt, because they eat rodents! Reducing rodent populations helps decrease damage to buildings and crops, as well as reducing diseases spread by small mammals, such as Lyme disease, Alpha-gal syndrome, and hantavirus.

The eastern massasauga is a type of pit viper. They have the ability to sense infrared radiation to help them hunt warm-blooded prey. They’re also ovoviviparous, meaning they give live birth after the baby snakes hatch from their eggs inside their mother’s body.

Learn more about what’s being done in Ohio to protect the eastern massasauga here:

https://www.wosu.org/2026-08-07/going-on-a-snake-hunt-ohio-conservationists-work-to-restore-native-rattlesnake-population

Welcome back to What’s that Specimen? Can you guess who these scales belong to? Hint: they can make a buzzing sound, lik...
08/20/2026

Welcome back to What’s that Specimen? Can you guess who these scales belong to? Hint: they can make a buzzing sound, like a bee. Check back tomorrow to learn more!

We have an ink-redible topic for this month’s Biodiversity Book Club! Join us at the museum on August 26 at 7pm as we d...
08/11/2026

We have an ink-redible topic for this month’s Biodiversity Book Club!

Join us at the museum on August 26 at 7pm as we discuss The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery and check out our cephalopod specimen selection!

Check out our website to sign up and see each month’s book selection: https://mbd.osu.edu/events/biodiversity-book-club

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1315 Kinnear Road
Columbus, OH
43212

Telephone

(614) 292-7773

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