Download Records

This form allows you to download data of all types from the Paleobiology Database. Use the various fields and selectors to specify which information you are looking for, and the form will generate a URL that will retrieve that specific set of records using the data service API.

To learn more about the various parts of this form, use the buttons. Be sure to read the data service documentation for a full explanation of what each field that you download contains.


What do you want to download?
Occurrences
Specimens / Measurements
Geological strata
Collections
Diversity over time

Taxa
Opinions
Bibliographic references / Taxa by ref
Comma-separated values (csv)
Tab-separated values (tsv)
JSON
RIS

Include non-public data
Public data only

Show all available parameters
Simple form

Using the left column of radio buttons, you can select any of the various kinds of data records available from the database. Using the middle column, you can choose from the available data formats. With few exceptions, you can select any type of record based on any criteria specified in the bottom section of this form. If you ask for taxa, opinions, or references, then your query will be evaluated using the full set of taxa known to the database if you specify only taxonomic criteria. Otherwise, it will be evaluated based on the table of fossil occurrences, using only the taxa which are associated with occurrences matching the criteria you specify.

If you are logged in, you can also choose to include non-public data in your result set (the default) or to retrieve public data only. This choice is found in the middle column. Unless you change this setting, the download will contain all matching data that you have permission to view, including your own embargoed data and any embargoed data whose authorizer has given you permission. Please be aware that in this case the generated URL will only work if used when you are logged in! If you share this URL with another member of the PaleoBioDB community, it will only work when they are logged in, and then they will only see the data that they have permission to view. So if you are planning to publish a URL or share it with someone who is not a database contributor, or if you want to generate a URL that will work even when you are not logged in, you must select the "public data only" option.

If you wish to get a list of bibliographic references according to some criteria and also find out which taxa are listed from each reference, you must download both "bibliographic references" and "taxa by ref" and match up the reference_no values between the two files yourself. Likewise, if you wish to get a list of specimens and their associated measurements, you must download both "specimens" and "measurements" and match up the specimen_no values yourself.


URL

   
 

Use one or more of the following sections to select a set of records and choose output options. If you close a section, you remove those parameters from the download URL until the section is opened again.

Opinion type:

By default, you will get all opinions concerning the taxa selected by whatever criteria you specify below. You can choose instead to just get the opinions that were selected algorithmically as classification opinions, or you can choose to just retrieve opinions which declare valid names, or junior synonyms, or invalid names. If you want, for example, just the classification opinions which declare junior synonyms, choose "classification opinions only" and then choose "junior synonyms" using the "Taxonomic status" meny below.

Reference types:

By selecting from this list of checkboxes, you can choose among the various types of references known to the database selected according to the criteria you specify in the subsequent sections of this form. For more information, you can read the documentation on bibliographic references.

Select by taxonomy

Select by time

Select by location

Select by geological context

Select by specimen

Select by metadata

Choose output options

Choose archive options

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