On a typical day this August, visitors to the San Diego Natural History Museum in California had the unusual opportunity to borrow real taxidermy specimens and fossils, ranging from a whale rib and leopard pelt to a piece of fossilized dinosaur excrement. These items belong to the museum’s collection but can be checked out by members of the public for home display or educational use, a program unique among natural history institutions in the United States.
The museum’s “Nature to You” loan program allows registered members to borrow from a collection of approximately 1,400 specimens, which includes taxidermized mammals, birds, reptile skulls, fossils, and preserved sea creatures. Specimens can be borrowed for up to two weeks, enabling users to bring the outdoors into their personal and educational environments. Loan program manager Haylie Priest noted that the collection features a wide range of items, such as birds of prey, large bones, a king cobra head preserved in a jar, and even a small stuffed alligator missing a few toes.
The origins of the program date back to the 1920s, when the museum began providing “nature cabinets” to local schools to promote natural history learning. Over time, the initiative expanded its reach beyond educational institutions, opening to the general public in the early 2000s. While many American museums loan science kits to teachers, San Diego’s program is reportedly the only one nationwide that extends specimen lending to a wider audience.
Experts note that such public access to museum collections aligns with a broader trend to make museum holdings more accessible and interactive. Elizabeth Merritt, a museology specialist, described the program as an example of the “distributed museum” concept, emerging alongside the sharing economy about a decade ago. This approach encourages public engagement with natural history beyond traditional museum visits by enabling people to directly interact with physical specimens.
The program currently serves 186 members, who collectively borrowed 3,807 items over the past year. About 60 percent of borrowers are schoolteachers, with another 30 percent working in nonprofit or community-based education. The remaining users include private artists, families, and individuals with personal interests in natural history. Specimens have been utilized not only as educational resources but also as props for theatrical productions and as models for art classes.
The items available for loan are distinct from the museum’s primary research collection, which contains roughly nine million specimens with detailed scientific data. Many loaned specimens lack precise provenance or species identification, making them less significant for academic research but valuable as teaching tools and tactile educational aids.
The museum emphasizes ethical sourcing, confirming that the taxidermized animals died of natural causes and were not harmed for display purposes. Priest described the program’s goal as providing these specimens with “a second life” in fostering curiosity and learning across generations.
The loan program operates year-round, with seasonal preferences among borrowers. Around Halloween, requests rise for items such as bats, ravens, owls, and spiders, while spring sees increased interest in specimens related to life cycles and young animals.
By offering this unique lending service, the San Diego Natural History Museum provides an innovative way to connect the public with natural history artifacts, enriching education and community engagement in an accessible and interactive manner.