HAI - predators for millions of years
Exhibition at the Museum für Naturkunde presents the fascinating animal
On Friday, 10 June 2016 at 5 pm, the Museum für Naturkunde Chemnitz will open the special exhibition "HAI - Predators for millions of years" at TIETZ, Moritzstraße 20. The show sheds light on the development of cartilaginous fish over 400 million years and reveals astonishing similarities between prehistoric and contemporary sharks. The exhibition can be seen at the Natural History Museum until 16 October 2016. Admission to the opening event is free
Representatives of the media are cordially invited to the opening of the exhibition and to a preliminary photo session on Thursday, 9 June 2016, 10.30 a.m. at the Museum für Naturkunde Chemnitz. At the photo opportunity, curator Dr Thorid Zierold will answer questions about the exhibition and explain the final work before the opening.
Sharks have a skeleton made up of cartilage. They live mainly in the sea. The oldest remains of cartilaginous fish are 400 million year old skin teeth. The primitive sharks show a surprising number of characteristics that can also be found in modern sharks. The Museum für Naturkunde Chemnitz sheds light on the marine predator in seven themed areas:
1. "HAI p"
The megalodon teeth are the attraction of the exhibition. Visitors can have their photo taken behind a one-and-a-half metre shark's teeth.
2. "HAI kunde" - What makes the shark so special?
The shark is a fascinating temperature regulator with a huge liver and a spirally twisted stomach. Its electrical sense shows it the way to its prey. An elastic cartilage kellet determines the streamlined body with two dorsal fins.
3. "HAI mat" - eye to eye with the great white shark.
Lifelike reconstructions allow visitors to immerse themselves in the world of the silent predators.
4 "HAI life"
Shark capsules are attached to mangrove roots in a marine aquarium. When will the first shark hatch and what will it be called? Visitors can follow the spectacle on the Museum für Naturkunde's Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/MuseumFurNaturkundeChemnitz
5. "HAI guess"
The Museum für Naturkunde explains the path from fertilisation to the nursery to the silent predator.
6. "HAI way"
Fossil hunters often find the teeth of sharks. It is a speciality when a complete shark is found. Chemnitz fossils, which were found during the construction of the A4 motorway, also provide information about the development of sharks.
7 "HAI definition"
High-resolution images and your own view through the microscope illustrate fascinating details of shark evolution.
The Museum of Natural History is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 am to 5 pm, Saturday, Sunday and public holidays from 10 am to 6 pm. Admission to the museum costs 4.00 euros for adults and 2.50 euros for concessions. Admission is free for children and young people up to the age of 18.
The special exhibition was initiated by the Natural History Museum/Schloss Bertholdsburg Schleusignen (Dr Ralf Werneburg) and further developed with the GEOSKOP/Burg Lichtenberg Prehistoric Museum (Dr Jan Fischer).
For further information please contact:
Dr Thorid Zierold
Museum of Natural History Chemnitz, Deputy Director, Curator Natural Sciences
Telephone: 0371 488-4552
E-mail: zierold(at)naturkunde-chemnitz.de