The Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates (CUMV) is an internationally recognized institution dedicated to the study of all vertebrates (fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals). It is an one of several natural history collections affiliated with Cornell University. The CUMV collections contain over 1.5 million specimens and serve as the primary repositories for vertebrates collected by past and present Cornellians working around the world. As a university based museum, it also serves as an important resource for undergraduate and graduate education.

The CUMV is administered through the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University. The museum is located approximately five miles north of the Cornell campus, at the Johnson Center for Birds and Biodiversity, along with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The museum moved to this facility in 2003. Support for this move and storage equipment (compact storage systems, shelving and specimen cases) was provided through a grant from the National Science Foundation (DBI 0138123).

As a research institution, our specimens, tissue samples and related specimen data are available to qualified members of the scientific community affiliated with academic and research institutions. We especially encourage the use of the collections in student research, whether as thesis work, independent study, or class projects. Although there are no public exhibits at the museum, museum staff try to provide assistance to members of the Cornell Community whenever possible and do offer tours for classes and other interested groups.