Paleobiology Database

Paleobiology Database MCP Connector for Claude

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Access the world's largest fossil database — query occurrences, analyze taxonomic diversity, and explore geological intervals directly from your AI agent.

27 tools Official Updated Jun 28, 2026 Official Vinkius Partner

Connect to the Paleobiology Database (PBDB) and turn your AI agent into a specialized paleontological researcher. Access millions of records spanning the history of life on Earth.

What you can do

  • Fossil Occurrences — Search for specific fossil records using taxonomic names, geographic coordinates, or temporal filters like 'Jurassic' or 'Cretaceous'.
  • Diversity Analysis — Tabulate and visualize fossil diversity over time to understand extinction events and evolutionary radiations.
  • Taxonomic Hierarchy — Explore the tree of life, from broad phyla down to specific species and their synonyms.
  • Geographic Clustering — Summarize fossil finds into geographic clusters to identify high-density fossil beds and ancient migration patterns.
  • Geological Context — Retrieve detailed information on time scales, strata, and intervals to place every find in its correct temporal context.

How it works

  1. Subscribe to this server
  2. (Optional) Enter your PBDB API Key if you have one for higher rate limits
  3. Start exploring Earth's biological history through natural language queries

Who is this for?

  • Researchers & Academics — quickly pull occurrence data and diversity metrics for papers and analysis.
  • Students & Educators — explore evolutionary history and fossil distributions through interactive AI-guided discovery.
  • Science Enthusiasts — satisfy your curiosity about prehistoric life by querying the same data used by professional paleontologists.
paleontologyfossilsgeologytaxonomyevolution

27 tools expose this connector's capabilities to your AI agent.

autocomplete_combined

General auto-completion across multiple record types (taxa, strata, intervals, people)

autocomplete_strata

Auto-completion for strata names

autocomplete_taxa

Auto-completion for taxonomic names

get_collection

Get information about a single fossil collection

get_collections_summary

Geographic summary of collections (clustering)

get_config

Returns database configuration info (ranks, continents, countries, lithologies, environments)

get_occurrence

Get information about a single fossil occurrence

get_occurrences_diversity

Tabulate fossil diversity over time (full computation)

get_occurrences_geosum

Summarize occurrences into geographic clusters

get_occurrences_prevalence

Get the most prevalent taxa in a selected set of occurrences

get_occurrences_quickdiv

Quick tabulation of fossil diversity over time

get_occurrences_taxa

Get taxonomic hierarchy of a selected set of occurrences

get_opinion

Get information about a single taxonomic opinion

get_reference

Get information about a single bibliographic reference

get_specimen

Get information about a single specimen

get_taxon

Get information about a single taxonomic name

list_collections

List fossil collections based on filters

list_intervals

List geological time intervals (e.g., Cretaceous)

list_occurrences

List fossil occurrences based on filters

list_opinions

List taxonomic opinions based on filters

list_references

List bibliographic references based on filters

list_specimen_measurements

List measurements associated with specimens

list_specimens

List specimens based on filters

list_strata

List geological strata (formations, groups, members)

list_taxa

List taxa, children, or parents

list_timescales

List available geological time scales

match_reference

Check for a matching reference in the PBDB database

See how to talk to your AI agent using Paleobiology Database.

Find all Tyrannosaurus occurrences recorded in the Cretaceous period.

I've searched the database for Tyrannosaurus in the Cretaceous. I found several occurrences, including specimens from the Hell Creek Formation (Montana) and the Lance Formation (Wyoming). Would you like the specific IDs for these records?

Show me the diversity of Trilobites over time.

Generating diversity tabulation for Trilobita... The data shows a peak in diversity during the Ordovician period, followed by a gradual decline until their extinction at the end of the Permian. I can provide a breakdown by geological interval if you'd like.

List fossil collections found in the geographic area of Montana, USA.

I've filtered collections for the Montana region (approx. lat 44-49, lng -116 to -104). I found numerous collections, primarily from the Cretaceous and Paleogene, including many dinosaur and early mammal sites. Should I list the most recent ones?

Yes! Use the `list_occurrences` tool and provide the period name in the `interval` parameter. The agent will return all recorded fossil occurrences from that specific time block.

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