Dive into the Depths: Discover Prehistoric Ocean Predators with the family at WA Maritime Museum
By Marnie Adams, Contributor @ Kids In Perth 06 May 2023
Video/Photo Credit: WA Museum, Facebook/YouTube.
Gallery | Sneak Peek!
Video/Photo Credit: WA Museum, Facebook/YouTube.
For more information and tickets, check out visit.museum.wa.gov.au/maritime/sea-monsters-prehistoric-ocean-predators or find everything you need below to organise your family's next visit to the WA Maritime Museum!
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Video/Photo Credit: WA Museum, Facebook/YouTube.
More Content | Get the Kids Excited for Sea Monsters
Get the kids hyped with fun facts and information about these massive dinosaurs of the sea!
Seriously Scary Sea Monster Facts
- Marine reptiles originally evolved on land and then went back to the sea.
- The biggest marine reptile was the 24-metre Shonisaurus, a type of ichthyosaur.
- Australia’s top plesiosaur predator, the Kronosaurus, had a bite force of 3 tonnes – more than a saltwater crocodile.
- The mosasaur Prognathodon’s head was so heavy; if it had lived on land, it couldn’t have lifted it.
- The first sea monster fossils were discovered about 50 years before we found any dinosaurs – we’ve known about them for around 250 years.
- Sea monsters ruled the oceans for over 180 million years (modern humans have only been around for about 300,000 years).
- Some ichthyosaurs could swim at speeds of 40 kilometres per hour.
- Some Australian sea monster fossils have become stunning and valuable opals.
- We can learn about what sea monsters ate by looking at their fossilised poo, called coprolites.
- The plesiosaur Albertonectes had 72 neck bones – more than any other animal. We have only seven.
Sea Monsters to check out!
Tylosaurus
Fact Sheet
- Lived 73-80 million years ago
- One of the largest mosasaurs
- Among the largest and most ferocious predators of any era
- Grew to between 35 and 45 feet long
- Eyes were as big as grapefruit
- Had four rows of sharp, cone-shaped teeth to seize and crush prey, and could swallow prey whole
Dolichorhynchops
Fact Sheet
- Lived 80-90 million years ago
- Name means “long snout”
- Approximately the size of a dolphin
- Fast swimmer that fed on fish and squid
- Had no external ears, making it possibly deaf to airborne sounds
Xiphactinus
Fact Sheet
- Lived 70-95 million years ago
- Largest bony fish of Late Cretaceous, reaching 20 feet long
- Nicknamed the “bulldog” fish because of upwards thrust of jaw
- Able to swallow prey up to half its length
- Often fed on a 6-foot fish called a Gillicus
Styxosaurus
Fact Sheet
- Lived 80-85 million years ago
- A member of the plesiosaurs
- Its neck was 20 feet long — up to half its body length
- Each of its flippers was the size of an adult human
- Swallowed hundreds of small rocks to help grind up meals
July School Holiday Program
Visit any of WA Museum's various locations to take part in engaging school holiday activities!
There's always something new for children to learn and heaps of fun-filled activities for them to explore and express creativity.
Find information below about Drop and Leave programs for busy working parents.
With options available across Western Australia, there is something for everyone this school holiday season!
Book early to avoid disappointment.
Sea Monsters: Torchlight Expedition
As the sun begins to set, and the lights go off, the creatures of the deep come to life in a special tour of Sea Monsters by torchlight.
Be guided by one of our museum educators on a journey back in time through the Sea Monsters - Prehistoric Ocean Predators exhibition. Explore gigantic ancient predators that once ruled the oceans. Follow the shapes and shadows of these amazing marine reptiles and discover what mysteries they reveal.
This intimate experience includes an opportunity to explore the exhibition with the lights on after the torchlight tour concludes.
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
Dates
Tuesday 4, Thursdays 6 & 13 July | 5.30pm and 5.45pm
Cost
Adult | $20
Concession | $17.50
Junior (5 - 15) | $15
Age
Suitable for ages 6 - 12
Duration
1.5 hours
Arrive 15mins before session time for registration. Book early to avoid disappointment.
Sea Monsters After Dark - Luca (2021)
Get ready for an underwater themed night with the whole family! Journey back in time and explore Sea Monsters: Prehistoric Ocean Predators exhibition and then enjoy a heart-warming family-friendly film Luca.
See just how big some of these monsters really were by getting an up close and personal look at fascinating fossils, life sized casts and models as you uncover secrets of our oceans past.
Then, sink into comfy seats and enjoy a heart-warming family-friendly film 'Luca'. There will be popcorn and special prizes up for grabs! Disney and Pixar’s original feature film Luca is a story of a curious boy and his best friend who have a big secret! They're sea monsters from another world just below the water's surface. Holding on to this secret is difficult, especially when you live in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides!
Come along with the family and enjoy a night of underwater entertainment and discovery.
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
Dates
Friday 14 July | 4pm - 8pm
Standard | $25
Concession | $20
Junior | $15
Classification rating: G
Duration: 1 hour 35 minutes
Meet the Scientist
Join scientists from the WA Museum and beyond, with the opportunity to ask questions about some of the amazingly diverse marine animals found in WA waters.
Learn how the amazing stories from WA Museum's researchers illuminate our understanding of the fascinating and complex patterns of life that have evolved in the oceans.
Find out about the remains of prehistoric marine animals that palaeontologists have located in WA rocks, in landscapes that are far now removed from the ocean.
Understand how the biology of animals can tell us about their environment and habits, how predators and herbivores interact within marine food webs and how prehistoric animals either evolved or perished.
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
Dates
Tuesday 11 & Thursday 13 July | 11am – 1pm
Included with General Admission | Drop-in Activity
This event takes place in the foyer and gallery.
Drawing Monsters
Take a journey into your imagination, as we explore the limitless possibilities of storytelling that great monsters can inspire.
Join a fun drawing workshop with visual storytelling artist Aśka where you will develop your skills at turning your loose monster ideas into imaginative artworks.
Aśka will share her know-how on how to develop the details, stories and sketching that will make your monster come to life on the page.
Learn about the techniques of great visual storytelling such as you find in your favourite comics and graphic novels. You will make and refine your own monster drawing as artwork to take home.
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
Dates
Friday 14 July | 9.30am – 12pm
Drop and leave program
Cost
Standard | $45 per participant
*Admission fees apply for WA Maritime Museum
Membership
Friend Members receive 15% off ticket pricing for this event.
Age
Suitable for ages 9+
Duration
2.5 hours
Registration
Please arrive 15mins before session commences to complete participant registration and consent details.
Sea Monster Snowdomes
Go mad for sea monsters!
Inspire your child's inner mad scientist, and get creative as they make their own monster-in-a-bottle snowdome during school holidays using colourful modelling clay.
Design your own mini marine monster features, and have fun decorating the details of their floating world.
Fun, short workshop for those kids who love to get busy with their hands.
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
Dates
Friday 14 July | 9.30am – 12pm
Drop and leave program
Cost
Standard | $45 per participant
*Admission fees apply for WA Maritime Museum
Membership
Friend Members receive 15% off ticket pricing for this event.
Age
Suitable for ages 9+
Duration
2.5 hours
Registration
Please arrive 15mins before session commences to complete participant registration and consent details.
Mega Monsters!
As sea monsters take over the Museum, drop in and stay for plenty of fun-filled activities around these fascinating creatures of the past!
- Decorate your own mosasaur snapping skull to create a ‘jaw’-esome sea monster or a marine maze-monster – watch out for your hands!!
- Discover the magnificent mega-mammals of the modern oceans, the whales. These gentle giants have impressively large bones and big hearts.
If you're an adventure enthusiast, prepare to embark on an exciting exploration as we offer a couple of fantastic journeys for you!
- Learn about prehistoric marine reptiles through the Sea Monsters activity sheets.
- Play hide-and-seek through the galleries with miniature LEGO® marine adventurers who are on the hunt for something big in The Maritime Monster Mystery trail.
- Join their four junior palaeontologists on a video journey as they explore behind the scenes at the Museum to uncover the science behind finding fossils in WA.
- Explore the ancient seas where prehistoric marine reptiles roam in a digital screen interactive, and discover which of these large animals have survived through to the modern day.
What are you waiting for? Dive into school holidays fun at the Museum!
See these Sea Monsters at the WA Maritime Museum...
Planner | Experience Wonderland
Seriously scary - not for the faint-hearted!
Millions of years ago, while dinosaurs ruled the land, giant reptiles more than 20 metres long hunted the depths of the sea – and they’re coming back to life at WA Maritime Museum.
Sea Monsters: Prehistoric Ocean Predators brings together real fossils from millions of years ago, gigantic life-sized casts from actual specimens, including a 13-metre long Elasmosaurus and nine-metre Prognathodon, immersive multimedia, and hands-on interactives to raise from the dead these ancient monsters of the deep.
The exhibition features over 70 exhibits and includes a huge 1.4-metre Kronosaurus jaw. There is also an incredible ichthyosaur specimen giving birth and a five-metre-long fish that died after swallowing another fish whole.
Location
WA Maritime Museum Victoria Quay Road, Fremantle
Dates
Tickets
Standard | $15
Concession | $12.50
Junior (5 – 15) | $12.50
Junior (0 – 4) | Free
Family | $50
Membership
Join their Membership program to access 15 - 30% off discounted tickets for this exhibition.
Click on an icon to start planning your next WA Museum visit
Sea Monsters: Prehistoric Ocean Predators
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Special Exhibition Events
Sunday 7 May | 2pm – 3pm
Sunday 4 June | 2pm – 3pm
Sunday 11 June | 2pm – 3pm
Sunday 9 July | 2pm – 3pm
Sunday Seminars: Sea Monsters and beyond
Explore the world of the massive marine predators of the ancient seas, and how modern science understands these links to the past.
Daily | 10.30am & 2.30pm
Highlights Tour
Make the most of your visit to the Maritime Museum with a free tour of our galleries.
Saturday 20 May | 10am and 11am
Shark workshop for kids
Join marine biologist Amanda Elizabeth for an exciting workshop experience on sharks.
Date Night at WA Museum?
Saturday 13 May 2023 | 2.30pm - 4pm
Saturday 20 May 2023 | 2.30pm - 4pm
Saturday 27 May 2023 | 2.30pm - 4pm
Meditation for Life classes @ WA Museum Boola Bardip
A series of free classes exploring the road to inner peace and happiness.
Red Light Tour @ WA Museum Boola Bardip
Membership | Connect with Your Museum
Membership Benefits
From ticket discounts to member-exclusive events and competitions... there are lots of benefits to being a WA Museum Member!
Start your membership by being a Follower, it's FREE!
Pre-sale access
Be first to know about special exhibitions & programs.
Exclusive events & programs
Access to Members-Only events & programs.
Competition entry
Every time you book tickets or visit the Museum, you'll enter into a competition for an awesome grand prize!
FREE to join!
Contact Details
WA Maritime Museum
1300 134 081
reception@museum.wa.gov.au
www.museum.wa.gov.au
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