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DIVE IN AND DISCOVER THE WORLD OF SHARKS!
“Jaw-Dropping World of Sharks,” a new exhibition from the New Jersey State Museum, aims to dispel the myths and misunderstandings about sharks and their relatives by exploring their biology, fossil record, conservation and cultural significance.
The exhibition opens on April 9 in the Riverside Gallery on the Museum’s second floor. On display will be specimen and artifacts from the Museum’s collections that demonstrates the jaw-dropping world of sharks.
As part of the opening on April 9, Dr. Dana Ehret, the Museum’s Assistant Curator of Natural History and a fossil shark expert, will present a free lecture on the greatest shark that has ever lived, Megalodon, at 2 pm in the Museum’s Riverview gallery on the first floor.
The exhibition will be on view through January 8, 2023.
Sharks and their relatives share a 400-million-year history and have a diverse family tree. They inhabit the world’s oceans, rivers and estuaries evoking fear and mystery. But much of this fear comes from a lack of understanding bout sharks and their habitats.
According to Dr. Ehret, “the exhibition showcases the fossil shark record of New Jersey and aims to educate people about sharks, their unique biology and history.” He continued, “New Jersey is known for one of the premier fossil collecting locales on the East Coast in Monmouth County. Thousands of shark fossils from the late Cretaceous period (approximately 70 million years ago) have been recovered over the last 150 years.”
A lecture series is planned for the second Saturday of each month starting in May. The lectures will primarily be presented virtually, with a few having an in-person component including a talk by Dr. Richard Fernicola, author of “Twelve Days of Terror,” planned for July.
A related family fun day is being planned for this summer; details on the lectures and family event will be announced on the Museum’s website and social media pages.
The New Jersey State Museum is open Tuesday - Sunday, 9:00 am to 4:45 pm. General admission is free, and donations to the NJ State Museum Foundation are gratefully accepted. All visitors to the Museum over the age of two are required to wear face coverings over the nose and mouth. For additional information visit www.statemuseum.nj.gov, like the Museum’s Facebook page (@NJStateMuseum), follow us on Twitter (njstatemuseum), or Instagram (nj_statemuseum).
About the New Jersey State Museum
Located at 205 West State Street in Trenton, the New Jersey State Museum encompasses three buildings including a state-of-the-art Planetarium and holds over 2 million artifacts in its collections in Archaeology/Ethnography, Cultural History, Fine Art and Natural History. The New Jersey State Museum is a center for the exploration of science, history and the arts. We preserve and share stories that inspire curiosity and creativity for the enrichment of our communities.
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