Why are animals in museums mostly male?

[Still Waters]

The majority of museum specimens—including both ancient and modern mammals—are male, a landmark survey published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests.

Per the Atlantic’s Rachel Gutmann, researchers led by the University of Copenhagen’s Graham Gower analyzed hundreds of bison and brown bear fossils collected in the field or borrowed from museums across Europe and North America. Ultimately, the team identified 74 percent of the bison and 64 percent of the bears as male.

In addition to assessing prehistoric species, Gower and his colleagues studied modern specimens housed at New York’s American Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, London’s Natural History Museum and the Royal Ontario Museum. Of 19 mammalian orders represented, 17 were predominantly male; Chiroptera, an order constituting bats, and Pilosa, an order including anteaters and sloths, were the only groups in which females outnumbered males.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-are-animals-natural-history-museums-overwhelmingly-male-180973142/

[Peter B]

Why are animals in museums mostly male?

Is it because the clever ones didn't get caught...? :-)

[Gwynbleidd]

7 hours ago, Peter B said:

Why are animals in museums mostly male?

Is it because the clever ones didn't get caught...? :-)

Love your theory!