The paleontological collection contains fossil vertebrates from the Po valley,  collected by Peregrin Strobel, the Museum director, in the late XIXth century. In a corner of the first of the two galleries, a display panel and a glass case containing relics belonged to Strobel pay a tribute to him.

Visitors can see the fossil remains of marine fauna, such as dolphins and whales. These lived when the Po valley was a marine gulf between 5 and 3 million years ago. After the level of the sea fell, on the lands above it many different species lived alternately. Hippopotamuses and rhinoceroses were tropically-adapted animals, while bison, mammoths and giant deer (Megacerines) living in the late ice age adapted to cold environments.

Life-size shapes of all these species are painted on the wall of the second and last gallery, therefore visitors can realize how large the animals really were.