Specimens

Specimens are samples kept for scientific study, reference, or display. In biology and related fields, a specimen may be an individual organism, a part of an organism such as tissue, or an object such as a fossil. Specimens are preserved to halt decay and retain diagnostic or descriptive features for later examination.

Common forms include living or temporarily maintained specimens, preserved specimens fixed in chemical solutions, dried plant and insect specimens, and fossilized remains. Herbarium specimens are dried and pressed plants with labels detailing collection data; zoological collections include skins, skeletons, shells, or fluids.

Preservation methods vary: chemical fixation with formaldehyde or ethanol, dehydration, embedding in resin, drying, freezing, or plaster jackets for fossils. Proper labeling and metadata are essential, including species name, collection date, location, collector, and method. Specimens are typically housed in collections on shelves, in freezers, or in archival drawers and are tracked by accession numbers.

Specimens are used for taxonomy, comparative anatomy, development studies, and reference identifications. Voucher specimens serve as tangible references to confirm species identifications in research.

Ethical and legal considerations include permits for collecting wildlife, compliance with national and international regulations (for example CITES), and protection of human-derived materials, which require informed consent and privacy safeguards.