The Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ) at Harvard University was one of the SIGNIFY team’s priority institutions as literature review uncovered over 100 specimens of interest, including some very important types and historical materials. The team made a productive five-week visit to MCZ starting 22 April 2024—albeit one kickstarted with unforeseen challenges. Just two days prior to departure, torrential downpours hit Dubai, flooding much of the city and delaying the team’s connecting flight by 10 hours. The missed flight to Boston also resulted in delays on the arrival of luggage containing essential digitisation equipment. Despite the rocky start, the team had a fruitful time working with the collection team at Havard. This story showcases some specimens of interest that were digitised by the team.