The Fluid Preserved Collection is of importance to the museum because the entire specimen including all of the original anatomical structures, both internal and external, is preserved. The morphological integrity of these specimens is valuable since it allows for examination of organs and other soft tissues, as well as external features, by researchers who study such aspects as parasitology, biomechanics, feeding ecology, adaptive physiology, comparative anatomy and molecular biology.

Historically, preparation methods involved the preservation of skin and skeleton of a specimen for curation in the museum. Today’s research techniques often require more from the specimen. Fluid preservation techniques allow for fixing of a specimen in ethanol or an alternative fixative to maintain the musculature, organ systems, and other soft tissues of a specimen, which were typically discarded in the past.

Recently the importance of maintaining the data associated with fluid preserved specimens is at the forefront. Traditional paper stocks and the ink used in tag preparation do not hold up over time in the fluid that preserves the specimen. New label material, media, and printers are now available that seek to solve this difficulty and others are being developed. The NSRL is investigating these new technologies for its collection; however, only time will tell which methods provide the best long-term storage of data.