Delaware Museum of Natural History: Bird Eggs, Dinosaurs and Seashells

Summary: Delaware Museum of Natural History specializes in birds, bird eggs and seashells. Expansion in 2005 brought dinosaurs to this must-visit museum.

entrance of Delaware Museum of Natural History: Dmadeo, CC BY SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Founded in 1957 and opened in May 1972, Delaware Museum of Natural History stands as the first and only natural history museum in the Blue Hen State.

The museum's focus on birds, bird eggs and seashells reflects the conchological (Ancient Greek: κόγχος, konkhos, "cockle") and ornithological (Ancient Greek: from ὄρνις, órnis, “bird”) interests of the museum’s founder, John Eleuthère du Pont (Nov. 22, 1938–Dec. 9, 2010), great-great grandson of Éleuthère Irénée du Pont (June 24, 1771–Oct. 31, 1834), founder of America’s super-wealthy, Delaware-based dynasty.

The museum is sited in Wilmington at 4840 Kennett Pike Across the road is 5105, Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library, the extraordinary childhood home of John’s first cousin once removed, Henry Francis du Pont (May 27, 1880–April 11, 1969). Henry Francis du Pont donated the land for Delaware Museum of Natural History.

Outdoor displays, placed throughout the grounds, set the tone for experiential enjoyment. Statues that greet visitors near the entrance include a polar bear (Ursus arctos) and a Galapagos tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra), as well as a replica of ca. 1634 bronze statue, Il Porcellino (“The Wild Boar”), by Pietro Tacca (Sept. 16, 1577–Oct. 26, 1640).

The museum's backyard offers armchair appreciation of nature via a backyard patio, with nearby playful family of red foxes sculpted in bronze in 2007 by Carrie Gantt Quade, and a picnic area. The backyard also allows for enjoying nature up-close via Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden, Wildflower and Native Grass Meadow, and mile-long Larry F. Scott Nature Trail.

The Collections and Research Division encompasses a collection, two departments and a library.

The Bird Department has holdings that represent about 4,000 bird species by way of approximately 11,000 skeletons, 66,000 study skins and 36,000 clutches of eggs.

The Mammal Collection houses approximately 6,000 specimens, of which half is North American mammals and the other half is Philippine bats (Chiroptera) and rodents (Rodentia).

The Mollusk Department shelters more than 2 million specimens, representing more than 18,000 species in 220,000 cataloged lots.

The non-circulating Research Library includes more than 10,000 volumes emphasizing birds, Delmarva ecosystems. and mollusks. The Research Library's Archives houses material, such as correspondence, field notes and photographs, pertaining to collectors of specimens now in the museum’s collections.

Permanent exhibits are maintained through three displays.

Animal Adaptations highlights triumphs over environmental pressures of finding food and escaping predators by such survival strategies as blending in by Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) and red fox (Vulpes vulpes), speed by cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), and stinkiness by hooded skunk (Mephitis macroura) and wolverine (Gulo gulo).

The Hall of Birds features the 27-pound (12.247 kilogram) egg of extinct Elephant Bird (Aepyornithidae).

The Shell Gallery is entered by way of a simulated Australian Great Barrier Reef.

Expansion in 2005 added educational space and installed new permanent exhibits.

Darwin and Evolution documents the legacy of Charles Darwin (Feb. 12, 1809–April 19, 1882).

Dinosaur Gallery showcases Delaware’s only permanently displayed dinosaur skeletons.

Hall of Mammals features an African Waterhole.

Hands-on and interactive fun for children, ages 2 to 10, and their parents or caregivers takes place at Nature Nook. Weekly activities include live animal presentations and Book in the Nook exhibit-, nature- or science-themed story time.

The museum's collection of bird eggs and mollusks ranks in the top 12 in the United States. Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology (WFVZ) in Camarillo, southern California, holds first place. The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) occupies third place.

Prestigiously perched between WFVZ and NMNH, the Delaware Museum of Natural History's collection of bird eggs ranks as the second largest in North America.

Four panel stained glass by Pennsylvania welder-turned artist Robert P. Horan for Rainforest Adventure special exhibit, Delaware Museum of Natural History, Oct. 6, 2012-Jan. 6, 2013: Jim, the Photographer, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr

The spacious Ederic Exhibit Hall hosts special exhibits to complement the museum's permanent exhibits.

Rainforest Adventure, which exhibited from Oct. 6, 2012, to Jan. 6, 2013, featured a resplendent four-panel stained glass display by Pennsylvania welder-turned artist Robert P. Horan. One panel exquisitely depicted 190 hand-painted and hand-carved bees rousted from their hive by two kinkajous (Potos flavus).

Tiny Titans: Dinosaur Eggs and Babies, running from Oct. 10, 2015, to Jan. 10, 2016, spotlighted dinosaur life via embryos, eggs and nests. The exhibit displayed more than 50 dinosaur eggs and nests from all over the world.

From the spectacular replica of a giant squid (Architeuthis dux) hanging from the ceiling at the museum's entrance to the carefully presented exhibits and aesthetic murals, the Delaware Museum of Natural History lives up to its mission statement:

"To excite and inform people about the natural world through exploration and discovery."

Visitor information: Hours
Monday through Saturday: 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.;
Sunday: noon-4:30 p.m.
early closings: Christmas Eve (1 p.m. closing) and New Year's Eye (3 p.m. closing)

Contact details
URL: http://www.delmnh.org/
telephone: 302-658-9111
fax: 302-658-2610
email: info@delmnh.org

detail of luna moth (Actias luna) butterfly and caterpillar in "Insects of Delaware" mural painted by Illiana Teixido, Delaware Museum of Natural History: Jim, the Photographer, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

entrance of Delaware Museum of Natural History: Dmadeo, CC BY SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Delaware_Museum_of_Natural_History.png

four panel stained glass by Pennsylvania welder-turned artist Robert P. Horan for Rainforest Adventure special exhibit, Delaware Museum of Natural History, Oct. 6, 2012-Jan. 6, 2013: Jim, the Photographer, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/jcapaldi/9249907140/sizes/l

detail of luna moth (Actias luna) butterfly and caterpillar in "Insects of Delaware" mural painted by Illiana Teixido, Delaware Museum of Natural History: Jim, the Photographer, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/jcapaldi/9247115165/