THE    PALEONTHOLOGICAL    COLLECTION

     This collection consist of 5,695 exhibits, out of each there are 1,631 exemplaries of snails and shells coming from the fossil area from Lapugiu de Sus and Buituri, 533 samples of foliar impressions, insects and fishes discovered on the fossil site from Tampa and 2,019 osteological remains belonging to different species of mammals from the Pleistocene period. But the most important ecofacts in this collection are the 1,782 osteological fragments discovered in the paleonthological reservation from Sanpetru (Hateg). They belong to a series of vertebrates from the Maastricht period (Upper Cretacic), and especially to the small (dwarf) dinosaurs (Magyarosaurus dacus, Struthiosaurus transsylvanicus, Orthomerus transsylvanicus, Zalmoxes shqiperorum), which lived in this region some 65 million years ago, when the Land of Hateg was an island of the Tethis Sea..

THE    HERBARIUM

     Today this sub-collection consists of 11,465 items, representing species of superior plants gathered on varios natural ecosistems located in the Hunedoara county. Among the rarities and the endemic ecofacts of this collection are to be mentioned: Dianthus spiculifolius, Achillea oxyloba, Andromeda polifolia, Betula nana, Campanula transsilvanica, Drosera rotundifolia, Eryssimum wittmannii ssp. transsilvanicum, Hepatica transsilvanica, xHepatica media (in locco classico on the Colt Hill – Deva), Ruscus aculeatus.

THE    COLLECTION    OF    LEPIDOPTERA

     This collection comprises 12,346 exemplaries gathered from various natural ecosystems in the Hunedoara county, but also on other parts of Romania. Among the most important species, from a scientific and biogeographic point of view one can mention a series of rarities, like Prodotis stolida, Lycaena helle, Colias myrmidone, Colias chrysotheme, Zerynthia polyxena and the endemic species from the Carpathian Mountains like Apamea maillardi carpatobrunnea, Erebia melas runcensis, Parnassius apollo jaraensis, Parnassius apollo transsylvanicus, Boloria pales carpathomeridionalis.

THE    COLLECTION    OF    MINERALS

     This collection contains 1,070 mineral samples, most part of it being gathered over the years from the mining areas from Brad and Baia Mare – Baia Sprie. The majority consists of samples of quartz of various sizes, as the calcite, the pirite, the calcopirite, the stibine and the marcasite. Also from the Brad area originate a series of samples of chalcedony (known also as agate), malachite, rhodocrozite etc.

THE    ORNITOLOGICAL    COLLECTION

     This collections is formed of 661 specimens of birds (naturalised and preserved items). Is one of the oldest collections of this kind, the first items included in here dating since 1923. Among the most valuable specimens there are the bald eagle (gray and brown), the hazel grouse (Tetrastes bonasia), the mountains cock, the mountain eagle, the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), the eider, the velvet scoter (Melanitta fusca).

THE    COLLECTION    OF    COLEOPTERA

     This collection contains 33,345 specimens originating from different zone and natural habitats from Romania, as well as from other parts of the world. In the framework of the collection of particular interest are the cave coleoptera of the troglobitic species collected during the interwar period on a series of caves in the Western and Meridional Carpathian Mountains. A special remark is to be made regarding the holotype of the species Duvalius mallaszi gabriellae, as well as the paratypes of thge subspecies Sophrochaeta reitteri retezati, Sophrochaeta reitteri mallaszi.

THE    COLLECTION    OF    MAMALS

     This collection consist of a rather small number of specimens, yet some of the most important ones being that of the European bison (Bison bonasus), originating in the Slivut Forest Natural Reservation (Hateg area) – the first reservation of European bisons in Romania. The three specimens preserved at the museum in Deva are Podarek and Polonka (the first European bisons brought from Poland to colonise the reservation) and their descendant, Romanul. Other protected or rare species from Romania are the lynx and the black goat (Rupicapra rupicapra).

THE    COLLECTION    OF    MODERN    MOLLUSCS

     This collection comprises a number of 2,492 specimens originating from varios areas of Romania, as well as exotic specimens collected in certain tropical zones of the world. In the framework of the collection there are a series of rarities like Haliotis tuberculata, Charonia nodifera, Cypraea pantherina, Conus ammiralis, Semicassis undulate and others.

THE    HERPETOLOGICAL    COLLECTION

     In here are gathered a number of 2,024 specimens, the majority of it coming from the acvatic and terrestrial ecosystems of the Hunedoara county. From a scientific and biogeographic point of view are important the species Vipera ammodytes, Vipera berus, Lacerta praticola pontica.