The research team compiled data from the Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência in Lisbon, the Museu da Ciência da Universidade de Coimbra, and the Museu de História Natural e da Ciência da Universidade do Porto. A total of 7,402 specimens with associated metadata were recorded for analysis. Of the 74 terrestrial mammal species confirmed to occur in Portugal, 64 are represented in these collections. However, the representation is uneven, with ten species completely absent, including the European mouflon, the American mink, and seven species of bats. The absence of these taxa creates blind spots in the understanding of local biodiversity, particularly for recently described or cryptic species that require voucher specimens for definitive identification and future genetic analysis.

Geographic coverage presents an even more stark picture of the collections’ limitations. The museums cover little over 40 percent of Portugal’s territory, with collecting efforts heavily biased toward the vicinities of the cities where the museums are located. More than half of the occurring taxa have less than 10 percent of their known distributions represented in the collections. No single taxon has more than 50 percent of its known distribution represented, with the highest coverage being the Azores noctule bat at 42.9 percent. This spatial bias means that researchers lack the physical data necessary to model population dynamics, habitat use, and range shifts across the entire country, limiting the utility of these collections for large-scale ecological studies.

Temporal patterns further illustrate the stagnation of these repositories. Collecting dates are known for approximately 87 percent of the specimens, but the growth of the collections has been inconsistent and largely historical. The Coimbra museum has had no new entries since 1935, while the Lisbon museum’s historical collections were largely destroyed by a fire in 1978, leaving a significant gap in the mid-20th century record. Although the Lisbon museum has seen some activity in recent decades, new accessions have become largely opportunistic and considerably rarer. This lack of continuous time-series data hinders the ability to track long-term environmental changes, disease emergence, and population declines, which are essential for understanding the impacts of climate change and habitat loss on mammal populations.

Conservation status adds another layer of complexity to the collection gaps. Approximately one-third of the taxa represented in the collections are considered threatened, yet they account for only 15 percent of all specimens. This imbalance means that the species most in need of research and conservation attention are the least represented in the physical archives. For example, the Iberian lynx, a critically important species for conservation biology, is represented by only 12 specimens. Similarly, the European pine marten and the European free-tailed bat have fewer than one percent of their known distributions represented. This scarcity of voucher specimens for threatened species limits the ability to conduct robust genetic and morphological studies that are crucial for informing conservation strategies and monitoring recovery efforts.

The study also highlights a surprising deficit in game species, which are traditionally expected to be well-represented in museum collections due to hunting practices. While the red fox is the second most common species in the collections, other game species such as the wild boar, red deer, and roe deer are severely underrepresented. The wild boar, one of the most ubiquitous mammals in mainland Portugal, is represented by only 16 specimens. This lack of data on game species affects not only conservation but also the management of hunting populations and the study of human-wildlife conflicts. The absence of these specimens in public collections means that valuable data from road-kill events and wildlife recovery centers are not being integrated into the national scientific record.

The decline in specimen collection is part of a global trend driven by funding cuts, changes in societal values, and the rise of non-invasive sampling techniques. In Portugal, this trend is exacerbated by a disconnection between the scientific community and the museums. Students and researchers rarely use the collections during their training, and data from many specimens are not publicly accessible through online databases. This lack of accessibility and engagement further diminishes the utility of the collections for modern research, which increasingly relies on digital data and large-scale genomic analyses. The study calls for a renewed commitment to specimen collection and deposition, emphasizing that physical vouchers remain essential for the replication and verification of scientific findings.

The implications of these gaps extend beyond Portugal, serving as a cautionary example for natural history collections worldwide. As the world faces a biodiversity crisis, the need for comprehensive and accessible biodiversity data has never been greater. The study underscores the importance of maintaining and expanding natural history collections to support fundamental research and conservation efforts. Without a concerted effort to address these gaps, future generations will lack the physical evidence necessary to understand and protect the planet’s biological heritage. The authors urge naturalists, museum professionals, and policymakers to recognize the critical role of specimen collections in addressing the challenges of modern science and to invest in the infrastructure and personnel needed to sustain these vital resources.

Subject of Research: Portuguese terrestrial mammals in Portuguese Natural History Collections: an assessment of their taxonomic, geographic and temporal patterns

Article Title: Portuguese terrestrial mammals in Portuguese Natural History Collections: an assessment of their taxonomic, geographic and temporal patterns

Article References: Santos, B. S., & Ceríaco, L. M. P. (2025). Portuguese terrestrial mammals in Portuguese Natural History Collections: an assessment of their taxonomic, geographic and temporal patterns. Natural History Collections and Museomics, 2, 1-50. https://doi.org/10.3897/nhcm.2.140209

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3897/nhcm.2.140209

Keywords: Portuguese, terrestrial, mammals, Natural, History, Collections, assessment, taxonomic, geographic, temporal, patterns, scientific research