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Oklahoma Biological Survey

Biologist looks across the a pond in the Wichita Mountains

BioDiversity is Our Goal

The Biological Survey is both a state agency and a research department of the University of Oklahoma. The Biological Survey includes the Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory, Oklahoma Natural Areas Registry, and the Robert Bebb Herbarium.  Our faculty and staff are committed to providing the best available information on biodiversity in the state of Oklahoma. We do this through our surveys, inventories, and research on the state’s biodiversity. We also collect, curate, and share existing biodiversity data. We are committed to training students and the public in biodiversity science. To achieve our goals we work closely with other allied organizations throughout the state and region.

Oklahoma Biological Survey Logo

Highlights

Where Did the Horny Toad Go?

G Payne, the Natural Areas Program and Outreach Coordinator, represented the Oklahoma Biological Survey at Rodea Cinema on July 13th. The Oklahoma Monarch Society hosted a screening of the Where Did the Horny Toad Go? film, directed by Stefanie Leland. Texas Horned Lizards, commonly known as Horny toads, have expereinced severe population decline in Oklahoma. This gathering was dedicated to getting insight from experts and land managers on how to protect the precious Horny toad.

Thank you Okies for Monarchs for incorporating OBS! 

Tribal Alliance for Pollinators (TAP)

Tribal Alliance for Pollinators hosted their 10th Anniversary Conference in June of 2025 at Euchee Butterfly Farm. Oklahoma Biological Survey faculty, Dr. James Hung and Dr. Priscilla Crawford both gave interesting and informative presentations. Dr. Hung was happy to announce that his team has completed bee surveys in all of Oklahoma's 77 counties. Dr. Crawford was excited to share that her book, "A Naturalists Guide to Oklahoma," will be ready for readers in Spring of 2026. 

Thank you TAP for inviting the OBS team to join in your celebration.

 

Chickadee Research in Science!

Congratulations to Eli Bridge, our interim director and BioSurvey ornithologist, on his publication in Science - "Spatial cognitive ability is associated with longevity in food-caching chickadees."

Mussels of Oklahoma

 

Dr. Caryn Vaughn has developed a new and comprehensive website about all the mussels found in Oklahoma.

Learn About These Amazing Animals

Plant Collections Database

The Bebb Herbarium is a member of the Texas-Oklahoma Regional Consortium of Herbaria (TORCH) which has consolidated their plant collections into a online database.

Flora of Oklahoma

Developing a comprehensive resource for the identification of over 2,500 plant species native to and naturalized in Oklahoma.  A complete set of keys to species, family descriptions, illustrations of morphological characters, a glossary and an index are available as a PDF.

Mailing list

You can stay up to date with our events and projects by signing up for our newsletter. The Biodiversity Bulletin is sent out seasonally. 


65%

of mussel species are considered imperiled

 


10

gallons of water

can be filtered by an adult mussel in one day

 

60

mussel taxa are present in Oklahoma