Staff member, Samuel Bond, with a long-necked plesiosaur at the new exhibition, Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep at the Natural History Museum, London CREDIT David Parry
Opening Friday, Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep invites visitors to plunge into ancient waters and come face-to-face with the terrifying creatures that hunted beneath the waves while dinosaurs roamed the Earth.
Visitors will touch a mosasaur tooth, feel a cast of a dinosaur claw, hold Jurassic poo and take part in the Fierce Factor trail to discover which creature deserves to be crowned the most ferocious predator in the sea.
For generations, the Museum’s world-leading palaeontology collection has provided an ocean of knowledge to scientists around the world. Understanding what happened in the past can help inform what we predict about the future of our oceans, particularly as the climate changes.
This Friday, London’s Natural History Museum will open Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep. Generously supported by the Blavatnik Family Foundation, this spectacular new exhibition reveals the terrifying creatures that hunted beneath the waves millions of years ago.
From razor-toothed marine reptiles and enormous fish to beautifully preserved ammonites, Jurassic Oceans takes visitors on an electrifying journey through ancient seas fizzing with life, danger and drama.
Dr Marc Jones, curator of fossil reptiles at the Museum and lead scientist on the exhibition said, “Experience the Jurassic like never before in this thrilling encounter with ancient ocean giants, where danger is lurking behind every corner, and predators quickly turn into prey. Discover that the sheer variety of life that existed in the seas of the Jurassic is unmatched - from intricate ammonites to giant fish - and that all life is intimately connected and contributes to the balance of the underwater ecosystem.”
Meet the underwater stars of the Jurassic
Introducing the ichthyosaurs, some of which grew up to 25 metres long - similar to Dippy the diplodocus! Its huge eyes helped it to scour the depths of the ocean for prey, while its extraordinary sense of smell helped track its dinner. Visitors will touch a cast of an ichthyosaur skull, getting closer than ever to one of the most impressive sea predators of the Jurassic. You won’t find anything like this in today’s oceans!
Then, come face-to-face with the plesiosaurs whose body plan of a long neck and four flippers is something not seen before or since, making them truly one of a kind. Their long neck and piercing teeth proved to be the perfect combination for these poised predators that continued to thrive long after the Jurassic. Look closely to see bite marks where shark teeth ripped flesh from the bones of this plesiosaur once it had died and become food for other sea creatures, like whales do in today's oceans.
Casting the net wide, we dip into the Cretaceous to meet the mosasaurs, the T. rex of the sea! Armed with two kinds of teeth, a double-jointed jaw and a bite built for ripping through its prey, mosasaur could swallow fish whole. See a mosasaur jaw, examine a cast of its skull and dare to touch a real mosasaur tooth, almost 70 million years old. It won’t bite, anymore…
Dr Jones continues, “Drawing on the Museum’s world-leading palaeontology collection, Jurassic Oceans highlights how studying the past can help scientists understand a warmer, wetter world and turn the future of our seas. As the climate changes, fossils offer vital clues about how marine ecosystems have responded to dramatic environmental shifts in the past, and what that could mean for ocean life in the centuries ahead. These animals may seem like monsters, but they tell a powerful scientific story about evolution, extinction and the changing health of our oceans.”
Opening Friday 22 May 2026, Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep promises a thrilling encounter with the prehistoric predators that once ruled the waves.
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Dates: From Friday 22 May 2026
Times: Monday – Sunday 10.00-17.50 (last entry 16.30)
Price: Peak: Adult £17.50, child £8.75
Off-peak: Adult £15.00, child £7.50
Members, patrons and children under 4 go free
Concessions available
Tickets: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/jurassic-oceans.html
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About The Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is a world-leading scientific research centre and the UK's number one visitor attraction.
We are welcoming more than 7 million people to our blockbuster exhibitions, galleries and gardens and our 400 scientists are finding solutions to the planetary emergency - from reversing biodiversity loss to resourcing the green economy.
With over 80 million specimens, spanning 4.5 billion years, the breadth and depth of the Museum’s collection make it the most important of its kind in the world.
Through our NHM150 campaign, we are raising an additional £150 million to transform our iconic building and meet our mission of creating over 100 million advocates for the planet by 2031 – the Museum’s 150th anniversary.
About the Blavatnik Family Foundation
The Blavatnik Family Foundation provides many of the world’s best researchers, scientists, and future leaders with the support and funding needed to solve humankind’s greatest challenges. Led by Sir Leonard Blavatnik, founder of Access Industries, the Foundation advances and promotes innovation, discovery, and creativity to benefit the whole of society. Over the past decade, the Foundation has contributed over US$1.3 billion to more than 250 organizations.
See more at www.blavatnikfoundation.org.