Ocean Hall: NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, Washington, DC

Aquarium Exhibit, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

We had come to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, to see the special exhibit of the Passenger Pigeon (see my post for 11/10/14) and with a limited amount of time afterward, we had to make a choice of where to go next.  We started in the Ocean Hall and were so engaged that we spent virtually all of the rest of our time at the museum in there.  From the huge whale skeletons hanging overhead and an aquarium with live fish, to a preserved giant squid and cases with fossils of prehistoric ocean life, we had more than enough to look at.

Trilobite fossil

Panels accompanying the whale skeletons explained how whales had evolved from land dwelling mammals. One panel showed how some prehistoric species had both teeth and short baleen that helped them filter feed.  One of the most intriguing whale skeletons was of a species called Basilosaurus which had such an elongated tail that it was incorrectly thought to be a giant sea reptile when it was first discovered. Small hind limbs show that it was descended from land-dwellers.

Section of spinal column of Basilosaurus

The fossil cases were filled with the remains of creatures that lived in ancient oceans. In many instances they have been preserved in incredible detail. Crinoids, trilobites, starfish, and clams are just some of the fascinating fossils displayed.

Crinoid Fossils (Cretaceous)

I couldn’t resist having my picture taken looking through the jaws of megalodon, the now extinct giant shark that is an ancestor of the great white shark. I wrote about another megalodon jaw at the Raleigh, NC,  Science Museum in my post on this blog on Dec. 2, 2013.  Megalodon is also the subject of my book Giant Shark: Megalodon, Super Pre-Historic Predator.

 

Jaws of Megalodon

As we left the Ocean Hall we passed the elephant mounted in the rotunda at the entrance to the museum.  Next time we visit we need to allow more time so that we can visit the many other exhibits at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

African Elephant