About Durban Natural Science Museum
The Durban Natural Science Museum, established in 1887, operates on the first floor of the historic, Edwardian neo-Baroque Durban City Hall on Anton Lembede Street. It stands as one of South Africa’s oldest and most frequented scientific institutions, welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to view its extensive natural history collections. Inside, the galleries feature realistic habitat dioramas of African wildlife, a life-size reconstructed Tyrannosaurus Rex model, a fossilised Elephant Bird egg, and an authentic Egyptian mummy named Peten Amen.
The institution also guards rare biological treasures, including a near-complete Dodo skeleton and a vast collection of indigenous birds, reptiles, and insects. In addition to its public galleries, the museum runs an active research facility on KE Masinga Road that handles significant biodiversity documentation and educational outreach initiatives.