Marine Biology

• Invertebrates: crustaceans, cephalopods, shelled molluscs, polychaetes (J.H. Day collection) and  hydroids
• Vertebrates: bony and cartilaginous fish (mesopelagic fish, Prince Edward Islands, Melville Ridge, fish osteology, cartilaginous fish and skeletal element collections) and marine mammals.

Invertebrates

• Entomology: insects, arachnids and myriapods
• Terrestrial molluscs: terrestrial and freshwater species.
• See also: Marine Invertebrates

Terrestrial Vertebrates

• Mammals: study skins and osteological collections of mainly southern African species
• Birds: study skins, eggs and osteological collections of mainly southern African species
• Reptiles & Amphibians:  wet collection of mainly southern African species
• Freshwater Fish: on loan to the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity.

Cenozoic Palaeontology

• Pleistocene fossils: fossil and sub-fossil terrestrial, marine and freshwater vertebrates and invertebrates including the Elandsfontein, Duinefontein, Upper Pleistocene and Taphonomy collections
• Miocene and Pliocene fossils: includes the Langebaanweg and Miocene Whale collections.

Karoo Palaeontology

• Middle Devonian fossils: material from the Bokkeveld Group including bivalves, brachiopods, crynoids and trilobites, with a few sponges and bryozoans
• Late Carbonifereous fossils: palaeoniscud and acanthodian fishes from the Witteberg Group.
• Permian to early Jurassic fossils: vertebrates, mainly synapsid reptiles, from the main Karoo Basin; trace fossil collection (mainly invertebrate but also vertebrate), Baxter-Brown fossil pant collection (Early Triassic material from the Molteno Formation).

Invertebrate Palaeontology

• Cretaceous fossils: several thousand ammonite specimens
• Cretaceous to Recent micro fossils: marine and freshwater Ostracoda, Crustacea and Foraminifera
• Middle Devonian fossils: bivalves, brachiopods, crynoids,  trilobites and sponges
• Permian to early Jurassic fossils: Trace Fossil Collection of mainly arthropod trackways from the Lower Ecca varved shales (Early Permian).

Rocks & Minerals

• Rocks and minerals: some 10 000 specimens
• Meteorites: iron and stony (chondrite) meteorites and a rare carbonaceous chondrite.