The Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections (BRTC) (formerly the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection) was established in 1938 by the late Dr. William B. Davis, founder of the Department of Wildlife Management (later Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences) at Texas A&M University. The collections serve as historical and modern evidence of biodiversity, ecological changes, and life history of vertebrates in Texas, the United States and the world. The collections are used in the research of Texas A&M faculty, graduate students, and scientists worldwide, as well as for the teaching of natural history, conservation and wildlife management, both within the university and in public schools.
The Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections (BRTC) primarily documents the faunal history of Texas, the United States, Central and South America, and the Gulf of Mexico. This includes over one million specimens and their associated historical documents, so as to assure their accessibility to current and future generations. Historically the BRTC has been an invaluable source of data for researchers in the fields of biodiversity, vertebrate evolution, endangered species, wildlife and fisheries conservation, and even forensic biology. This information is also made available to the public, to increase awareness of the natural history of Texas and thus enabling the citizens of Texas to make better-informed decisions affecting their natural environment.