And no, it isn’t because of a crazy migration pattern (though they have been spotted off NYC coasts before)! After the incredible new Hall of Gems and Minerals, NYC’s iconic American Museum of Natural History just opened their newest exhibit on Wednesday, December 15 dedicated to one of nature’s most misunderstood creatures: sharks.
The new exhibition, aptly named Sharks, allows New Yorkers to “discover the incredible diversity of this ancient and fascinating group of fishes,” that are even older than dinosaurs!
Sharks features dozens of life-sized models ranging from 33 feet to 5 inches long, along with fossils from the Museum’s collections, and interactive exhibits that allow visitors to accomplish challenges and learn more about the group of fishes — like hunt like a hammerhead.
Some of the most interesting areas you will learn more about include:
- What makes sharks unique — media displays will showcase these attributes (like that they have skeletons made of cartilage instead of bones like other fish!), along with an interactive exhibit of a life-sized shark that allows you to look at the one-of-a-kind anatomy of the shark up close
- The diversity of sharks — throughout the entire exhibition there are life-sized shark models spanning the space, from media projections to videos to 37-foot-long and 10-foot-tall projections that truly highlight sharks’ diversity today
- Sharks and us — in this section (in the center of the gallery), you’ ll get an inside look at sharks’ relationships with humans, revealing how most sharks are small and harmless to us, and that humans actually are much more threatening to sharks than vice-versa
And this is only a small taste of what you will experience (or should we say, bite!).
The exhibit is now open, and is on the third floor of Gallery 3, with timed entry required. Read more of their website here!