The history of scientific relations between Cuba and the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH): 160 years of collecting and collaborating (1857-2017)

Abstract

Design by Melisa Beveridge.♾ This paper meets the requirements of ansi/niso z39.48-1992 (permanence of paper).The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is one of the world's preeminent scientific, educational, and cultural institutions. Since the museum was founded in 1869, its collections have grown to include approximately 34 million specimens and artifacts. With 45 permanent exhibition halls, including the Rose Center for Earth and Space, the Hayden Planetarium, and the Bernard Family Hall of North American Mammals, there is plenty to experience. The AMNH is the only Ph.D.-granting museum in the Western Hemisphere, conferring a doctorate in Comparative Biology. AMNH image no. 100213470-1 (Sagra, 1839-1857. ABOUT THIS BOOKSince the mid-19th century, the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) has had an integral and historically important connection with Cuba. This relationship is represented by numerous expeditions and research projects by AMNH scientists in collaboration with Cuban scientists from the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, La Habana, Cuba (MNHNCu), and other Cuban institutions. Specimens received from Cuba starting in 1857 were among the collections that even preceded the formal establishment of the AMNH in 1869. The first AMNH expedition to Cuba was launched in 1892, followed by many decades of expeditions, collaborative research and education projects, and scholarly exchanges. Cuba, an archipelago of more than 4,000 islands that includes the largest island in the Caribbean, still harbors a remarkable range of both terrestrial and marine habitats and is perhaps the region's most important center of biodiversity. Many of its species are endemic to the Cuban islands, and many more await discovery. The long-standing collaboration between the AMNH and science in Cuba is the foundation for the current effort to better understand the biodiversity and natural history of Cuba, as represented by various recent joint expeditions. A historic 2016 agreement between the AMNH and MNHNCu offers the opportunity for many years of further collaboration in the interest of science and education. SOBRE EL LIBRODesde mediados del siglo XIX, el American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) ha tenido una conexión histórica importante e integral con Cuba. Este vínculo se ha expresado en numerosas expediciones y proyectos de investigación con científicos cubanos del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, La Habana, Cuba, (MNHNCu), y otras instituciones cubanas. Los primeros especímenes procedentes de Cuba datan de 1857 y se encuentran entre los que precedieron el establecimiento formal del AMNH en 1869. La primera expedición a Cuba se realizó en 1892, seguida por varias décadas de expediciones posteriores, investigaciones conjuntas, proyectos educacionales e intercambios académicos. Cuba, un archipiélago de más de 4,000 islas que incluye la isla más grande del Caribe, atesora una gran gama de hábitats marinos y terrestres, y quizás es el más importante centro de biodiversidad de la región. Muchas de las especies en Cuba...

Natural and anthropogenic factors as taphonomic agents in the differential preservation of paleontological remains from the fossil deposit “Las Llanadas”, Central Cuba

“…He mentions as an element in favor of this possibility the fact that the proximal epiphyses of many long bones appear absent and that there are impressions or stripes on the bone surface. However, from the illustrations published in the works of Paula (1959), andGoldberg et al (2017), showing the general appearance of the most important remains collected by Carlos de la Torre, we observe that the bones from Ciego Montero show much better preservation than those from the casimba of the Sierra de Jatibonico (now known as "Las Llanadas").…”

“…This expedition is considered, historically, the first scientific intervention of this place by a Cuban naturalist (Carlos de la Torre) in 1910, where the extracted materials were destined for future studies on the Cuban fossil megafauna. The second scientific intervention was in 1911, when Barnun Brown, a remarkable collector from the American Museum of Natural History in New York, accompanied by Carlos de la Torre and his assistant Victor Rodríguez Torralbas, visited the site for a week and extracted numerous bone remains (Brown, 1913;Arredondo, 2011;Goldberg et al, 2017). Brown stated that the bones "…were not plentiful" (Brown, 1913:224) and that nothing new was found over what was reported by Torres in 1910.…”

“…Type of Taphonomic Association and Its Paleoenvironmental Implications. When considering the faunal composition of the paleontological remains found in "Las Llanadas" deposit (Torres, 1910;Brown, 1913;Matthew, 1931;Barbour, 1945;Matthew and Paula, 1959;Goldberg et al, 2017;Aranda et al, 2017) and the density of materials per zoological group, it is possible to infer the existence, at some point, of a lacustrine environment. Associated remains of crocodiles, chelonians, sloths, and hutias, among others (Torres, 1910, Brown, 1913Aranda et al, 2017) point to very well defined interspecific dynamics.…”

Late Holocene land vertebrate fauna from Cueva de los Nesofontes, Western Cuba: Stratigraphy, chronology, diversity, and paleoecology

“…Faunal deposits accumulated in Cuban caves were initially discovered during the mid-late nineteenth century and the first decades of the twentieth century. These early efforts included discoveries by José Figueroa, Fernández de Castro, and Carlos de la Torre at several localities throughout the island between 1860 and 1911 (de la Torre, 1910;Nuñez Jiménez, 1998;Goldberg et al, 2017). Later explorations were conducted by Barnum Brown (1913), Thomas Barbour, and other personnel from the Museum of Comparative Zoology (Cambridge), Carnegie Museum (Philadelphia), and the American Museum (New York City).…”

Late Holocene land vertebrate fauna from Cueva de los Nesofontes, Western Cuba: stratigraphy, last appearance dates, diversity and paleoecology

“…Faunal deposits accumulated in Cuban caves were initially discovered during the mid-late 19 th century and the first decades of the 20 th century. These early efforts included discoveries by José Figueroa, Fernández de Castro, and Carlos de la Torre at several localities throughout the island between 1860 and 1911 (de la Torre, 1910; Nuñez, 1998; Goldberg et al, 2017). Later explorations were conducted by Barnum Brown (1913), Thomas Barbour, and other personnel from the Museum of Comparative Zoology (Cambridge), Carnegie Museum (Philadelphia), and the American Museum (New York City).…”