Colossal prehistoric creatures once “ruled the oceans”. Now see them close-up at the Natural History Museum’s new London exhibition

Come face-to-face (or, face-to-fossil) with prehistoric ocean predators in an upcoming exhibition from London’s Natural History Museum.

Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep opens on Friday 22 May – just in time for the school holidays.

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Explore the Earth’s oceans of 200 million years ago, when waters were filled with monstrous marine creatures.

• Super predators over 10 metres long once dominated our oceans – unlike anything seen today, say scientists

Get close to a Baryonyx claw, see how you measure up against a complete plesiosaur – and even touch a fossil poo.

• World's weirdest fossils that will have you scratching your head – including fossil poo and vomit

You can also handle a tooth of the ‘T. rex of the seas’, the mosasaur.

Combining film, fossils and casts with the latest science from the museum’s world-leading palaeontologists, the exhibition allows you to dive into the world of real-life sea monsters.

“The Jurassic oceans were home to some of the most extraordinary and terrifying creatures ever to exist,” says the museum’s director, Doug Gurr.

“These colossal creatures that once ruled the oceans can help young minds bring big ideas such as extinction, adaptation and biodiversity thrillingly to life.”

The exhibition is recommended for children aged 8 and over. Relaxed viewings and after-hours events are also available. Tickets are available to prebook now on the Natural History Museum’s website.

Top image: Ichthyosaur skull. Credit: Trustees of the NHM London