The Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection (TCWC) was established in 1936 by Dr. William B. Davis, founder of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences at Texas A&M University. The TCWC houses over 1,000,000 preserved specimens in four divisions: birds, fishes, mammals, and reptiles and amphibians. All four divisions are ranked either first or second in the state and all are considered internationally invaluable.
For centuries, natural history collections have played a leading role in biodiversity-based research focused on systematics and taxonomy, and broad studies of ecology and evolution seeking to document species distributions, habitat, and morphological and genetic diversity. TCWC curators and their students strive to maintain and explore worldwide biodiversity by conducting research in Africa, Mexico, Central and South America, and throughout the United States, with a focus on Texas. Current TCWC research ranges from conservation of critically endangered species, to applying cutting-edge genetic techniques to identify populations in need of conservation, to the discovery and description of species new to science.
The TCWC plays a unique role at Texas A&M University in that labs associated with five courses are taught in, and rely heavily on, the collections. Teaching courses in the TCWC exposes students (over 200 each semester) to natural history collections, museum-based research, and the importance of collections to the scientific process. This has allowed the TCWC to attract dozens of undergraduate students interested in volunteering or interning at the collection, or in conducting research with TCWC Curators. Many of these undergraduates go on to become graduate students in the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences and utilize TCWC specimens in their research. The TCWC is extensively involved in community outreach with ties to various groups such as public schools, Texas Master Naturalists, Boy Scouts, and the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History.
TCWC curators and affiliates have a rich history of publishing their research, with over 1230 papers published since 1936. Faculty Curators have been successful in obtaining millions of dollars from federal, state, and local agencies to fund their research and improve the collections at the TCWC. If you are interested in learning more about what we do or how to support research and teaching at the TCWC, click here.