This dataset contains the originally documented specimen attribute data for mammals, fish, birds, and invertebrates in the collection. A substantial curation process was undertaken to transform a hand-written primary card catalogue into this open science setting. Our aim is to make these data more accessible and connected to other intiatives that consider ecological and Indigenous knowledge, as well as other zooarchaeology collections and natural history museums. We see value in considering the FAIR principals of open science to help increase awareness and use of the collection but also to consider the potential role of these data for Indigenous community based research and collaboration.

The University of Victoria’s Zooarchaeology Lab (UVicZL) is a comparative osteology collection designed to support the accurate identification of skeletal animal remains from archaeological sites in on the Northwest Coast of North America. The collection is comprised of 2,922 animals compiled over the last 40 years. A substantial percentage of animal bones archaeological sites on the Northwest Coast have been identified here. The comparative collection continues to be used by students, researchers, contractors, and community members engaged in osteological identification.