New exhibit offers amazing view of sea monsters

ATLANTA — A visit to the Georgia Aquarium gives visitors a glance at whale sharks, rays and an amazing assortment of fish. But now, the downtown attraction offers guests a unique look outside and inside these fish.

"Sea Monsters Revealed: Aquatic Bodies" opened at the aquarium recently. It's an extraordinary exhibition of the world's largest plastinated sea creatures. The exhibition includes a 6-foot-wide devil ray, a 15-foot-long Mako shark and an 18-foot-long, 3,000-pound whale shark.

Many of the exhibit's creatures, including both the ray and whale shark, are species of which living examples can be viewed in Georgia Aquarium's permanent habitats. All the sea creatures in the exhibition are authentic, stunning examples of the mysteries which lie under the surface and beyond the shoreline.

"It's a look at their anatomy, it's a look at what really makes them move or what enables them to live in the deep," Carey Rountree from the aquarium told WSBTV.com's Nelson Hicks. "(It's a) history lesson, but also a great science lesson. This is part of our ongoing effort to really educate the public on our oceans."

"Sea Monsters Revealed: Aquatic Bodies" uses the polymer preservation technique commonly known as plastination to bring real sea animals onto dry land for an up-close look at these mysterious and compelling sea creatures. More than 18 full-body sea creatures are on display, along with more than 150 individual organs and smaller sea creatures that define the life of the sea. All were carefully recovered in accordance with the highest animal protection standards.

"Sea Monsters Revealed: Aquatic Bodies" is a touring exhibit that officials have said will be at the Georgia Aquarium for a year. Admission to it is included with a regular ticket.

WSBTV