Savage Ancient Seas Blockbuster Exhibit at the State Museum

Discover Savage Ancient Seas, and be transported back 80 million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Explore a world of huge carnivorous marine reptiles, gigantic flesh-eating fish, flying reptiles and the largest sea turtles to have ever lived. These spectacular, strange creatures of the sea are the subject of this exciting new exhibition – and some even once lived off the coast of what is now South Carolina!

See more than 50 prehistoric marine fossils, both cast and real specimens, presented in dramatic three-dimensional displays, including:

One of the largest aquatic reptile ever discovered — the 45-foot-long Tylosaurus

The fabled Loch Ness Monster’s ancient real-life counterpart – a 42-foot-long Elasmosaurus

Gasp in awe at Archelon, the 17-foot-wide sea turtle

‘Swim’ with a school of the three-dimensional skeletal reconstructions of fish

Sift through time as flying reptiles soar overhead

Stationed throughout the exhibition are kiosks where visitors can learn the story of how these creatures lived and how most of them appear to have become extinct, along with the dinosaurs. You will also learn how these animals sank to the bottom of the sea when they died, where they were buried in chalky layers of sediment to eventually fossilize.

Unrivalled for their amazing varieties, voracious appetites, incredible teeth and gaping jaws, the creatures of the Savage Ancient Seas are unlike anything known in today’s world. You haven’t seen anything like this before!