During the Jurassic Period, some 200 million to 150 million years ago, the world’s oceans were brimming with enormous creatures—from toothy megalodons to fearsome mosasaurs and many in between.
And while land-dwelling dinosaurs tend to get all the attention, these abundant aquatic reptiles are just as fascinating in their own right. That’s the philosophy behind “Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep,” a new exhibition that’s now open at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
From now through September 7, museum-goers of all ages can explore the hidden world of the ancient marine predators who once stalked the world’s seas. It’s one of the best things to do in Denver this spring and summer, especially if you’ve got dinosaur-obsessed little ones at home.
“It’s an incredible opportunity for guests to step back in time and experience the wonder and power of these prehistoric creatures in a way that’s both educational and thrilling,” says Gussie Maccracken, curator of paleobotany at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
Using fossils and models, the exhibition tells the story of how prehistoric sea creatures evolved and adapted to their watery environments. Many of the specimens are touchable, so visitors can not only see what these ancient creatures looked like, but also feel their bones and teeth. Up for grabs—literally—are a massive megalodon tooth, a mosasaur jaw with teeth and a plesiosaur vertebrae fossil, just to name a few.
Visitors can get hands-on in other ways, too, with experiences like a lightbox puzzle illustrating fossil reconstruction and a magnetic ocean scene-building activity.
The exhibition also explores the life and legacy of Mary Anning, an inspiring British paleontologist and fossil collector who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
When she was just 12 years old, Anning carefully excavated a 17-foot-long fossilized skeleton that turned out to be an ichthyosaurus, or “fish lizard,” that lived between 201 million and 194 million years ago. She later discovered the first complete skeleton of a plesiosaurus, as well as a pterodactyl and many other fossils, though her contributions to science were not recognized at the time because she was a woman.
Museum-goers can also explore the 400-million-year history of sharks and learn about the unique adaptations marine creatures developed to survive and grow to enormous sizes. There’s an entire section dedicated to mosasaurs—the apex predators of the Cretaceous Period—as well as an exploration of plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs and liopleurodon.
The same asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs roughly 66 million years ago also wreaked havoc on ocean-dwelling reptiles. But the survivors did give rise to many species that visitors might be familiar with today, such as saltwater crocodiles, marine iguanas, sea snakes and leatherback turtles.
The exhibit, which was developed and produced by London’s Natural History Museum, includes content in both English and Spanish.
“I have no doubt that visitors to this exhibition will be in awe as they get to know some of the fearsome animals that dominated the oceans millions of years ago, and learn that dinosaurs weren’t the only impressive reptiles around in the Jurassic,” says Douglas Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum.
