Mission: The museum is an educational corporation formed for the purpose of encouraging and cultivating learning in the natural sciences and natural history.

Programs: Founded in 1957, the delaware museum of natural history opened to the public in 1972.As the only natural history museum in the state, the museum welcomes visitors each year to experience an african watering hole, gaze up at a giant squid, encounter a jaguar face-to-face, and marvel at the diversity of shells from around the globe. Gallery highlights also include the only permanent dinosaur exhibit in delaware, a simulated coral reef, an investigation lab, and a science in action lab. Throughout the year the museum also hosts several special exhibits.

the delaware museum of natural history maintains a library, laboratories, and extensive scientific collections used by researchers worldwide. These collections include: malacology (2 million specimens), ornithology (113,000 specimens), mammology (6,000 specimens), and smaller entomology and botany collections.