3D Data & Digital Resources
Explore the 3D models, online datasets, and digital initiatives developed, contributed to, or managed by SCAR members, and discover some of the resources supporting our research and collaborations
We have access to 3D digitization tools, including photogrammetry and surface scanning. Our collections also include several thousand 3D scans of a wide range of osteological structures, from both extant and fossil specimens. We are happy to make these data available for collaborative research projects whenever possible, subject to the sharing policies, permissions and conditions set by the museums and institutions that house the original specimens. If you have a specimen or project that could benefit from 3D digitization, or if existing data from our collections could be useful to your research, free to contact us
Sketchfab
Our Sketchfab space provides an interactive way to explore 3D models related to comparative anatomy, zoology and palaeontology. These 3D models correspond to specimens digitized by our team for research purposes, originating from different partner institutions that kindly agreed to make the digital models publicly available online.
Hoplophoneus
Morphosource projects
The JAGUARS collection is a unique reference collection dedicated to the biodiversity of French Guiana. Managed by Kwata and physically housed at the Institut Pasteur de la Guyane, it brings together a wide range of zoological material, including skeletons, anatomical specimens, tissues and complete specimens from the Guiana Shield fauna. As part of a large-scale digitization project supported by the Collectivité Territoriale de Guyane.
More than 500 anatomical specimens have been digitized using photogrammetry and surface scanning. Most correspond to osteological material, but the collection also includes complete specimens, such as whole turtles. The resulting 3D models are progressively made available through MorphoSource, allowing these specimens to be explored and reused far beyond the physical collection. The project aims to make French Guiana’s remarkable biodiversity more accessible for research, teaching, outreach and conservation.
The collection includes several emblematic carnivorans of French Guiana, such as the jaguar (Panthera onca), puma (Puma concolor), ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), margay (Leopardus wiedii), jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi), bush dog (Speothos venaticus), tayra (Eira barbara), giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) and South American coati (Nasua nasua). It also represents many other characteristic components of Guianan biodiversity, including tapirs, anteaters, sloths, armadillos and primates, as well as reptiles such as turtles, caimans and snakes. Several of these specimens are available online through the JAGUARS collection on MorphoSource, where they can support research, teaching and biodiversity outreach.
Panthera onca
Potos flavus
A dedicated MorphoSource dataset provides 7 digitized specimens of Panthera gombaszoegensis, an extinct pantherine felid from the Pleistocene of Eurasia. These 3D resources were generated in the framework of the study by Chatar, Michaud & Fischer (2022) and include cranial material used to investigate the morphology and evolutionary affinities of this enigmatic species. The dataset offers openly accessible comparative material for research on felid evolution, palaeontology and cranial morphology.
Panthera palaeosinensis
Others
The SCAR working group actively contributes to PhyloPic, an open-access platform providing freely reusable silhouettes of organisms for scientific communication, teaching and outreach. To date, we have contributed approximately 473 silhouettes across a wide range of taxa, including a complete set covering all extant species of Carnivora.
Momento Animalis is an open-source website developed in collaboration with other researchers, dedicated to sharing scientific illustrations and paintings to promote the life sciences. All illustrations are freely available for download and can be reused for research, teaching and scientific outreach, with Momento Animalis credited as the source.
