The RBINS holds more 45,000 reptilian specimens, and type material for 183 species. The majority of the specimens were collected by Gaston-François de Witte during his missions to the national parks in Congo. Philippe Kok has also put together a fine collection of reptiles from Guyana. Biologist Olivier Pauwels has added material to the South East Asia and Gabon collections, and his colleagues Benoit Mys, J. Swerts and Jan Hulselmans have contributed a significant collection of reptile species from Papua New Guinea.