Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum
Encyclopedia
The University of Montana Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum is a natural history facility and zoological collection located on the second floor of the Health Sciences building on the Missoula, Montana
campus.
Missoula, Montana
Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...
campus.
- The museum is the largest zoological repository of its kind in the region. Its primary purpose is functioning as an active research facility that is open to staff and students of the university, while also giving tours to hobbyists as well as schools and educational groups. The museums collection consists of 14,500 mammalian, 7,000 avian, and 3,200 fish specimens. It is the largest museum of its kind between Eastern Washington UniversityEastern Washington UniversityEastern Washington University is an American public, coeducational university located in Cheney, Washington.Founded in 1882, the university is academically divided into four colleges: Arts and Letters; Business and Public Administration; Science, Health and Engineering; and Social & Behavioral...
and Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, and houses one of the most extensive representations of Northern Rocky MountainRocky MountainsThe Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
wildlife in the world. In addition to actively studying and documenting native species, the museum includes a wide variety of specimens from all over the globe, with the oldest dating from Leningrad, Russia, 1851. The University of Montana started its collections in the 1890's and in 1939 the museum came under the direction of Philip L. Wright, who adamantly pursued collections until his death in 1997. That same year the university renamed the museum in honor of Wright's diligent efforts. Today it is under the direction of curator Dave Dyer and is otherwise staffed by volunteers.