Wildlife Biodiversity Bank

We’re at the forefront of collaborative global biobanking efforts, receiving and sharing samples and data with hundreds of scientists worldwide.

Our Wildlife Biodiversity Bank is the umbrella term for all the biological materials—organized into six subcollections— preserved by our teams. It includes living and non-living materials, which together represent an invaluable collection of scientific information that is applied toward advancing wildlife health, care, education, and conservation science. Biobanks like ours have become an essential means to saving species in the face of increasing biodiversity loss, and they lay the foundation for trailblazing conservation solutions by bridging today’s samples to tomorrow’s scientific potential.

Our subcollections total millions of samples—diverse in both type and taxa—including:

850+ 10,600+ 65 million+ 600,000+ 2,200+ transfusion-ready bags of plasma individual cell lines (representing about 1,200 species and subspecies) seeds (representing more than 450 types of plants)

In 2022

We donated hundreds of wildlife artifacts to our partners at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Lab. These items included confiscated and donated items that could assist in the identification and prosecution of wildlife trafficking crimes.

The cell lines of over 171 species —38 of which are new to the collection—were added to the Frozen Zoo, including Florida manatee, short-finned pilot whale, and Amazon milky tree frog.

microscope slides of tissue sections Gametes from 2,200+ individuals (representing nearly 450 species)

We made 32 plant collections , adding 57,842 seeds to the bank, including rare plants and taxa new to the collection. One of them, Prairie false oat, was previously believed to be extinct, having last been observed in Baja California, Mexico, in the 1880s.

Clinical Repository

Types of samples : Bodily fluids and blood components (plasma and serum)

These samples can be analyzed for elements such as viruses, hormones, or minerals; understanding the samples’ composition is critical in making decisions about wildlife health, management, and care. Scientists can also use these samples to develop novel diagnostic tools and protocols.

Native Plant Gene Bank

Types of samples: Seeds, plant cuttings, and herbarium vouchers (pressed and dried specimens)

The goal of this bank is to conserve material that can be propagated into plants from all 134 of San Diego County’s rare and threatened plants, providing insurance against catastrophic loss of a plant population or species.

Tissue and DNA Bank

Types of samples: Tissues, DNA, blood, and cells

This bank can be used to sequence and analyze wildlife genomes, which clarifies individual- and species-level genetic makeup. This information is crucial in illuminating wildlife physiology, behavior, disease, and the evolutionary potential of species to survive and adapt in our rapidly changing world.

Frozen Zoo

Types of samples : Gametes (sperm and eggs), embryos, and cells

This collection of living materials is the most extensive and most utilized resource of its kind in the world. With applications including assisted reproductive technology and stem cell technology, the Frozen Zoo has the potential to restore genetic diversity in populations of threatened species.

Pathology Archive

Types of samples: Tissues, microbes, DNA, and RNA

These samples are an important window into the well-being of wildlife populations. Samples taken post-mortem can be preserved for decades or even hundreds of years, throughout which they may contribute to the global scientific community’s understanding of wildlife health.

Wildlife Artifacts

Types of samples: Skeletal replicas, and items naturally shed or lost (e.g., feathers and leaves)

The artifacts in this collection are teaching tools, serving as a multisensory resource that allows us to engage with people of all ages and learning styles. They provide a key touchpoint for our guests to build understanding of biology and to cultivate personal connections with wildlife.