Why collect specimens and not just take photographs?

While photographs can capture a great deal of information about animals, at best they provide only a glimpse of what is gained by preserving a specimen.

 

Some species are very difficult to identify without close examination of their skulls or DNA. Having the specimen in hand allows us to recheck identification of these cryptic species. This is the fundamental concept of the voucher specimen. The voucher documents an animal at a specific place and time, thus allowing researchers to re-examine the specimen if results from a study lead to questions about its identification. This would not be possible if the animal were released.

 

As more specimens are collected and new research tools are developed (e.g. sequencing DNA), scientists are discovering new species within the drawers and shelves of museum collections. These discoveries would never occur if we only had photographs.

 

Shown above are two genetically different species that look almost identical: Merriam's ground squirrel (Urocitellus canus) and Townsend's ground squirrel (Urocitellus townsendii).