Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Taktsang Lhakhang, also known as the “Tiger’s Nest”.
Bhutan • 11 days, 10 nights
Festivals & Temples of Bhutan
from
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
21 days ago
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
22 days ago
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
24 days ago
Manhattan Well
The Manhattan Well: How Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton United to Solve a Murder Mystery
25 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States California San Francisco Research Departments, California Academy of Sciences

Research Departments, California Academy of Sciences

A century and a half of research in the sciences and natural history, still going strong.

San Francisco, California

Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Diaphonized fish at the California Academy of Sciences   Allison / Atlas Obscura User
Diaphonized fish at the California Academy of Sciences   Allison / Atlas Obscura User
  jyackabonis / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Containing the archives and library of the field research departments of the California Academy of Sciences dating back to its start in 1853, the research department located on the back side of the museum continues its work to this day.

Home to several active departments including Botany, Entomology, Invertebrate Zoology and Geology, Vertebrate Zoology and Anthropology, it also includes one of the world's largest Herpetology Collections, as well as the Academy's Research Library and historic archives.

Today, over 300,761 specimens have been cataloged in the Department of Herpetology.

The library, which dates back to the founding in 1853, is devoted to natural history and the natural sciences, and is available to Academy researchers and by special appointment to outside researchers.

Related Tags

Natural History

Community Contributors

Edited By

Martin, Allison, jyackabonis

  • Martin
  • Allison
  • jyackabonis

Published

September 7, 2012

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://research.calacademy.org/herp/history
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Academy_of_Sciences
Research Departments, California Academy of Sciences
California Academy of Sciences
55 Music Concourse Drive
San Francisco, California, 94118
United States
37.770018, -122.466341
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Monarch the Bear

San Francisco, California

miles away

California Academy of Sciences Herpetology Department

San Francisco, California

miles away

Site of the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition

San Francisco, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of San Francisco

San Francisco

California

Places 217
Stories 50

Nearby Places

Monarch the Bear

San Francisco, California

miles away

California Academy of Sciences Herpetology Department

San Francisco, California

miles away

Site of the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition

San Francisco, California

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of San Francisco

San Francisco

California

Places 217
Stories 50

Related Stories and Lists

We're Hardly Using Any of Our Fossils

museums

By Cara Giaimo

Related Places

  • Morioka, Japan

    Rock-Splitting Cherry Tree

    A 360-year-old cherry tree grows out of a granite boulder.

  • Tulare County, California

    Mark Twain Stump

    The last remnant of a tree that helped prove to the world that sequoias are real—and they’re spectacular.

  • 'Plant Life Through The Ages'

    Northampton, Massachusetts

    'Plant Life Through The Ages'

    A series of murals depict the evolution of plant life from the Precambrian to the modern day.

  • This 90 foot natural bridge is the second longest in the state.

    Pomona, Illinois

    Pomona Natural Bridge

    A natural sandstone bridge nestled within a mature forest in southern Illinois.

  • Al Hoota Cave

    Al Hamra, Oman

    Al Hoota Cave

    The biggest cave system in the Arabian Peninsula is home to a rare variety of blind fish.

  • Museum at Black Hills Institute

    Hill City, South Dakota

    Museum at Black Hills Institute

    One of the largest private collections of fossils in the world.

  • Murray Springs Clovis Site

    Sierra Vista, Arizona

    Murray Springs Clovis Site

    A short interpretive trail about one of the first human cultures in North America.

  • Wilson Canyon

    Smith Valley, Nevada

    Wilson Canyon

    An improbable water gap where the West Walker River, paralleled by a state highway, crosses the Singatse Range between Smith and Mason Valleys.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.