On Sunday, October 2, 2016, Cranbrook Institute of Science will open a new exhibit called Megalodon – Largest Shark that Ever Lived. The 5,000-square-foot traveling exhibit highlights the evolution, biology, and misconceptions of the enormous prehistoric shark that once cruised all the world’s oceans.
The traveling exhibit will be open until January 3, 2017.
Largest Shark Ever!
As unique as megalodon was, so is the exhibit that tells the story of this enormous creature. The exhibition showcases fossil and modern shark specimens as well as full-scale models from several collections. Visitors enter a full-size sculpture of megalodon through massive jaws and discover this shark’s history and the world it inhabited, including its size, structure, diet, lifespan, relatives, neighbors, evolution and extinction.
Megalodon – Largest Shark that Ever Lived also provides details on improving the health of our oceans and the survival of threatened species. Recent worldwide declines are attributed to commercial and sport overfishing. Scientists estimate humans kill 100 million sharks, skates and rays each year, and the life history of most shark species makes it difficult for populations to rebound. For those wondering why we need sharks, the Megalodon exhibition asks guests to consider the marine food web domino effect caused by overfishing.
Megalodon explores how this animal continues to fascinate many, elevating the prehistoric shark to near cult status. From biker jackets to postage stamps, the exhibition explains the many ways Megalodon remains a part of human culture through art, literature, music and film.
The Cranbrook Institute of Science has created additional components to the experience including Freshwater Monsters: Great Lakes Natives, which looks at the predators and invasive animals in our lakes today and the Curious Case of George Lawson, which examines the evidence that a Chicago boy had his leg bitten off by a bull shark in Lake Michigan in 1955.
Exhibition Fee
The exhibition fee, in addition to museum admission, is $6 for adults (public), $5 for adults (members), and $4 for children and seniors 65+. For more information on hours and pricing, visit https://science.cranbrook.edu/visit/tickets-pricing.
