Whales: Giants of the Deep at San Diego Natural History Museum

The traveling exhibition Whales: Giants of the Deep at theNat: San Diego Natural History Museum until September 5^th gives San Diegans and San Diego tourists an up-close view into the environment and history of these stunning creatures. The display has already mesmerized audiences across the U.S. at the American Museum of Natural History, the Field Museum, and most recently the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Being located along the coast where you can get a glimpse of gray whales during their breeding season from December through April and currently Blue whales from June until September, it seems only logical that this exhibit would be a hit here.

Photo provided by: theNAT

The interactive exhibition feeds your curiosity by providing highlights of their biology and diversity with displays of whale skeletons, multimedia displays, and rarely seen cultural artifacts. “Our fascination with and affinity for whales was one of the many reasons we decided to bring Whales: Giants of the Deep to San Diego,” said Dr. Michael Hager, president and CEO at the San Diego Natural History Museum. “The exhibition allows guests to explore these magnificent creatures with a series of informative and hands-on exhibits that allow you to take a deeper dive into our vast oceanic ecosystems. It also gives us the opportunity to highlight the whale research we’re doing here at the Museum.”

Photo provided by: theNAT

The exhibit from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is approximately 7,000 square feet, one of the largest in the world. You will see life-size and scale models of whales common to the South Pacific areas as well as weapons and adornments made from their bones. Due to the sensitivity of some of the rare specimens visitors are prohibited from taking photographs.

Schedule in 20 minutes to catch Whales 3D across from the exhibit presented by Jean-Michel Cousteau. The film takes you from the coral reefs of the Bahamas to Kingdom of Tonga for closer encounters. You’ll learn about the different environments and species of Whales and sadly, the environmental threats humans have created in their home leaving them vulnerable to extinction. The film is shown twice daily and included with paid admission.

Photo provided by: theNAT

Exhibition Hours and Admission:

Whales and Museum will be open from 10 AM to 5 PM daily. The exhibition will be included with paid general admission (no upcharge required) and located on the Lower Level of the Museum. Pricing: Adult ($19); Senior (62+), Military with ID, and Students ($17); Youth (7-17) $14; Child (3-6) $11; children 2 and under and Museum members are free.

The Museum is located at 1788 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101 in Balboa Park. For more information, call 877.946.7797 or visit sdnat.org. Follow theNAT on Twitter and Instagram and join the discussion on Facebook.