Fort Worth Museum of Science and History has natural history/science collections as well as historical collections. The two collections are curated and housed separately in the museum.
Fort Worth Museum of Science and History values its collections for interpretive use, first and foremost. The natural history/science collection consists of 100,000 catalogued specimens that represent the disciplines of malacology, entomology, ornithology, mineralogy, herpetology, mammalogy, meteoritic, and paleontology. The collection primarily focuses on Texas and the Southwest. The herbarium collection of native plants from Texas and the United States dates from the late 19th century to the present. The museum is involved in ongoing regional paleontological digs for dinosaur remains. The fossil collection is rich in dinosaur remains from the Fort Worth region, and includes at least six species, of which are two type specimens. The natural history/science collection is also supplemented by a live collection including mammals, reptiles, birds, and plants common to Texas.
The history/ethnographic collections consist of 30,000 catalogued artifacts representing the history of Fort Worth, Texas, Native American, pre-Columbian, African, and Asian cultures. Collections concentrate on the daily life of people in the region, including such regional industries as petroleum, agriculture, aerospace, and ranching. The museum maintains an oral history project to complement the collection.
The museum also houses a teaching collection of 20,000 items that duplicate items in the permanent collections. These items are used for hands-on activities and are loaned to area schools and teachers.