Tetrapods (Latin: "four-footed") are vertebrate animals (animals with a backbone) that have four limbs. This includes amphibians (frogs & salamanders), reptiles (lizards, snakes, turtles, & crocodiles), birds and mammals.

The collection originated shortly after the founding of The Ohio State University in 1870. It grew as an important repository of tetrapods in Ohio and of research expeditions worldwide.