The mammal collections at The Field Museum were founded in 1893, in the wake of the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and have grown into one of the world's premier resources for the study of mammalian evolution. Over its history the collection has had the names Field Columbian Museum, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago Natural History Museum, and again Field Museum of Natural History. Collections of Recent mammals number more than 236,000 specimens and 550 primary types. Each category ranks it among the largest mammal collections in the world. Although the collections are unique, encyclopedic, and worldwide in scope, those from the Philippines, Peru, Chile, Madagascar, Tanzania, Egypt, and Iran are among the world's very best