The Invertebrate Palaeontology taxonomic collection includes all identified specimens (excluding graptolites and type and figured material) housed in order of taxonomic assignment (phyla, classes, orders, families, genera, species). It contains over 500 000 specimens.
It is significant due to its size (amongst the largest in Australia) and comprehensive coverage of several fossil groups from the south-eastern part of the continent. The collections of Tertiary fossils (bivalves, gastropods, echinoids, bryozoans, etc.) are unsurpassed in any other Australian institution, and there are particular strengths also in Silurian and Devonian shelly fossils (trilobites, brachiopods, echinoderms).
The collections of fossils from overseas are also probably the finest in Australia, providing a valuable resource for both research and exhibitions.