Natural history research work was started in Somogy County Museum in 1953, although later it was interrupted as there was no museologist in natural history science employed in the institution between 1960-1980. By establishing the Natural History Department in 1985, however, this work started to flourish again. The main duty of the Natural History Department is to collect, preserve and sort every natural history material and to elaborate them from scientific and popular points of view.
Nowadays we have several smaller collections. Our geological collection comprise about 400 specimens of rocks, minerals and preserved fossils. It serves as the basis of a permanent exhibition to be seen in Marcali (Somogy County). The bulk of our natural history collection contains museological material in botany and zoology. The herbarium, representing the flora of Somogy County, has 4200 specimens of Pteridophyta and Spermatophyta. We have several zoology collections representing mainly local fauna. The Gastropoda collection, containing 35000 specimens, comes from Tolna and Somogy county. Our museum has several collections of different insect orders collected in the Transdanubian region (Hungary) i.e.: Odonata (500 ex.), Hymenoptera (5500 ex.), Diptera (3000 ex.), Coleoptera (10000 ex.). The richest entomological collections are: the Lepidoptera collection (50000 ex.), with material coming from mainly the Carpathian basin, and the Neuropteroidea collection (70000 ex.) taken from different parts of the Carpathian basin and Eurasia.
Specimens of the Vertebrata collection similarly to collection of the smaller Hungarian museums do not exceed 500 specimens. It consists mainly of stuffed birds while prepared frogs, fish and mammals are supplementary. Nowadays our collections are being developed very intensively by different research programs supported by local nature conservation office and local authorities.
Research work is carried out in the field of botany, that are phytosociology, vegetation mapping, and Neuroptera, Lepidoptera fauna from taxonomical, faunistical, ecological, zoogeographical points of view; applied research work is done in the field of nature conservation.
So far we have surveyed plants and animals in several natural conservation areas i.e. in Barcsi Borókás, Boronka-melléki, and Zselic Landscape protection areas. Now Duna-Dráva National Park and Látrány puszta protected areas are being evaluated.
Results of our research work are published in different scientific papers abroad, national and local papers. 175 papers have also been published on natural history research work of Somogy county in the annual and periodical books since 1985. The most important ones are: Somogyi Múzeumok Közleményei, a Barcsi Borókás élővilága I.-IV., a Boronka-melléki Tájvédelmi Körzet élővilága és a Dráva mente állatvilága I.-II.
In the near future we would like to publish a zoological checklist of Somogy county in a representative book for millennium celebrations.
Since 1994 the popular interpretation of our scientific research work in a permanent exhibition in Kaposvár called "Our natural heritage" can be seen.