Natural history has specimens of invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. The museum acts as the national repository for these collections. Collections in storage provide opportunity for in-house research by museum scientists. Visiting researchers from other countries also study our behind- the -scene collections.
COLLECTION CATEGORIES
Mammalogy
The mammal collection includes skeletons, skins, skulls and fluid preserved specimens. Most of the collections originate from Uganda.
Ornithology
The bird collections number over 1000 specimens, mostly specimens from the work of C.Stephen and C.R.S. Pitman dating back to 1920s. The collections are in the form of flat skins, stuffed skins, skeletons, eggs and nests.
Herpetology
Uganda museum houses a prestigious spirit collection of amphibians and reptiles from the works of C.R.S.Pitman. This collection was made available to the world through his publication in 1937 of a book ‘A guide to the snakes of Uganda’.
Invertebrates
The invertebrate collection is limited to butterflies and moths donated by other institutions and individuals researchers and naturalists.
Paleontology
An impressive record of vertebrate fossils, including the oldest rhino in Africa or probably in the world, is housed in the museum. These fossil collections are extensively studied by researchers around the world as they try to answer questions on evolution and understand changes in the environment. Every year a Paleontological Expedition is conducted by scientists from France. This has helped grow the fossil collections.