The Herpetological Collection is the fifth largest German collection of amphibians and reptiles and contains about 90.000 specimens. The collection consists of 70 % reptiles and 30 % amphibians, stored essentially in jars filled with ethanol, supplemented by several hundred dried skeleton and skin specimens and more than 300 sets of serial histological sections. The collection is characterized by a high proportion of specimens from the 19th century. The oldest specimens are South American snakes collected and described by Prince Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782-1867). Several extinct species such as the Mauritius boa and Cape Verdean giant skink are held in the collection. The valuable Australian collections of Amalie Dietrich (1821-1891) set an additional highlight.