Animals: Policies

Please see the individual Division policy pages for information regarding loan and usage of specimens. The nature and diversity of Zoology collections is reflected in the policies of the individual collections.

Terms and Conditions for Database Use

By accessing The Field Museum’s Department of Zoology Databases, you agree to the following terms and conditions:

  • The Field Museum does not charge for information from our collections, with the stipulation that The Field Museum is clearly identified as the source of the data in publications, and we also request copies or reprints of publications that are based on our collections and/or collection data.

  • All provided data are for nonprofit, educational, and personal use of students, scholars, and the public only. Any commercial use or publication by printed or electronic media is strictly prohibited without the express written permission of The Field Museum and any other institution or sponsor that may have any interest in the database. The data are not to be repackaged or sold in any form by anyone.

  • Although every effort has been made to provide accurate data, the databases are provided as is without express or implied warranty, including the implied warranty of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The User accepts the responsibility of verifying the complete data, including provenance, taxonomic, and ecological information, in consultation with the curatorial staff and/or by inspection of the specimens and the collection catalogue.

  • If you wish to refer to any of our databases in a publication, we offer the following as an example attribution for our Collection of Invertebrates: "Field Museum of Natural History (YEAR): The Invertebrate Collections Database, Division of Invertebrates, Zoology Department, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago. http:URL of this page."  Contact the Collections Manager of the relevant collection for direct assistance related to Zoology data.

  • The Field Museum shall not be liable for any damages suffered by the users of the database or the software, programming, and other documentation found on these web pages or in these databases.