Paleontology

A paleontological collection is an ordered and classified set of (macro)fossils. Fossils are remains of past organisms that have been preserved in the geological record. Bodily fossils are distinguished, such as shells, bones, or leaves, and ichnofossils, which are testimonies of animal behavior, like tracks, burrows, or feeding traces. Molts, egg remains, or excrement (coprolites) are also considered fossils, provided they have become part of the rocks that contain them.

Paleontological collections are scientifically very relevant, mainly for two reasons. The first, of a geological nature, is that many fossils allow dating the rocks that contain them, sometimes with a precision of less than 100 years. Some also provide information about the environment where they lived and even physical variables such as temperature and precipitation at the time. But their main relevance is in the paleobiological field: fossils allow us to verify the evolution of species, major past extinctions, and, in general, how the different ecosystems of our planet were and changed over the last 600 million years.

The MUCBO | Natural Science Museum has important paleontological collections. The collection from Joan Bauçà from Sóller contains tens of thousands of fossils from around Mallorca and elsewhere, especially fish. Many of the pieces are testimonies of sites that have already disappeared or are currently inaccessible, and show the set of animals and plants that lived on our islands over time. Another important collection is that of William Waldren, consisting of tens of thousands of animal fossils from the Muleta cave (Sóller). It is composed mainly of remains of the endemic bovid Myotragus balearicus, the giant dormouse Hypnomys morpheus, the giant shrew Nesiotites hidalgo, the lizard Podarcis lilfordi muletensis, the Balearic midwife toad Alytes muletensis, and remains of various bats and birds. In addition to these, there are sets of materials that have been donated to the Museum over time, such as the collections of Joan Arbona, Mateu Cifre, and Josep Juárez. The fossils are preserved according to the particular requirements of each piece (temperature, relative humidity, etc.) in containers prepared to prevent vibrations and impacts that may affect the material.