The scope of the collections is worldwide, with areas of particular strength including Australia and New Guinea (30,000 specimens), Central Asia (12,000 specimens), Central Africa (30,000 specimens), and South America (50,000 specimens). Today, the Department draws on these collections to support active research programs on mammalian diversity and evolution in groups such as bats, marsupials, and rodents from a wide range of countries including the Central African Republic, French Guiana, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Peru, and Vietnam.