Upon entering the Sant Ocean Hall, you will be surrounded by amazing examples of marine life. So much more than fish and dolphins, the ocean is home to thousands upon thousands of species – some very familiar and others rarely seen by human eyes. To
Upon entering the Sant Ocean Hall, you will be surrounded by amazing examples of marine life. So much more than fish and dolphins, the ocean is home to thousands upon thousands of species – some very familiar and others rarely seen by human eyes. To awe you with this vast diversity, the Ocean Hall team selected hundreds of ocean-life specimens to display in the Hall. They are all at home in the ocean, but in the museum world, different kinds of ocean life require different kinds of displays. And some presented the team with particular challenges. Read on to find out how!
Ocean life comes in all shapes and sizes – and each kind has its own unique display needs.
Dry and ready
Museum curators and exhibit designers must carefully select how best to display each specimen. Since bones and shells are fairly durable, mollusk shells and fossils can be displayed almost as-is. Vertebrate animals covered by fur or feathers, like marine mammals and marine birds, can be prepared by taxidermy – a process of preparing, stuffing and mounting the skin of an animal.
For specimens that are too large, too small, or too difficult to display in an attractive way at all, models, often from fiberglass, are created. Some mode