These databases contain a wide variety of continuously updated information on all vertebrate species and selected invertebrate species and infraspecific taxa of North America. This includes information on taxonomy, nomenclature, conservation status, distribution, habitat, ecology, and management, as well as monitoring and research needs.
Data are also available on many vertebrates of Latin America and the Caribbean.
The soon to be launched NatureServe web site will offer direct access to most of the zoological information in the NHCD as well as information about plants and ecological communities of the United States and Canada. Data sets covering additional taxonomic groups and geographic areas may be added to this site over time. View a sample of the data for selected mammals of the United States and amphibians of Canada. The most important reason for selecting a single name to represent each entity is because this allows a taxon to have a commonly accepted reference name to which all other names in current or previous use may be related. More than 80 zoological journals and many monographs are reviewed each year by the central zoology staff.