There appears to be a large shark in there, and like swimmers at a beach, even the birds were steering well clear of the water yesterday.
The frightful fin is a taster for Otago Museum’s latest exhibition — Sea Monsters: Prehistoric Ocean Predators — which runs from December 11 until May 1 next year.
Museum marketing manager Kate Oktay said millions of years ago, when dinosaurs ruled the land, giant reptiles more than 20m long hunted in the depths of the sea.
‘‘And now they are coming back to life this summer at Otago Museum.’’
She said the exhibition contained 70 exhibits, including real fossils that are millions of years old, huge life-sized fossil casts, and a 13m-long Elasmosaurus.
There would also be a hands-on Draw Alive space where children could create their own sea monster, scan it in and watch it digitally swim on a large screen.
‘‘There are also hands-on interactives, where kids can learn to swim like a sea monster.’’
The exhibition drew huge crowds in Auckland over the past few months, and it was expected to do the same in Dunedin.
Exhibitions and creative services head Craig Scott said it was produced by the Australian National Maritime Museum which teamed up with one of the world’s leading sea monster experts, palaeontologist Dr Espen Knutsen, and kid curators.
‘‘They have really created something that is not only the latest science on marine reptiles, but also focuses on the role of play in museums and having something that sparks imagination in a subject that children love.’’
Ms Oktay said the exhibition would open with ‘‘a monster of a weekend’’ packed with events and activities for children, including a Monster Disco, a late night special pyjamarama, and lots of crafts and science demonstrations.
