The Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, colloquially the Transvaal Museum, is a natural history museum situated in Pretoria, South Africa. The museum was established by the former South African Republic also known as the Transvaal in 1895. The museum curates large collections of Plio-Pleistocene fossils, including hominids from Sterkfontein, Swartkrans and Kromdraai in the UNESCO World Heritage Site; the Cradle of Humankind, as well as late Permian therapsids (proto-mammals from the Karoo). The most complete skull of an Australopithecus africanus specimen, Mrs Ples, is on display in the museum. In addition, the Transvaal museum houses extensive collections of mammals, birds, reptiles, and invertebrates. The museum is located on Paul Kruger Street, between Visagie and Minnaar Streets, opposite the Pretoria City Hall. It is one of the founding Museums of Ditsong Museums of South Africa in 2010.HistoryIt was founded as the Staatsmuseum of the ZAR on 1 December 1892, and J. W. B. Gunning was appointed as its first director. For the first two years after it was founded, the museum was located in the Ou Raadsaal parliament building.
