Mammals (blue whale)
Discover a world of massive mammals. Inspect a blue whale, the largest creature ever, from above and below.
See some of the largest creatures on the planet, learn the truth about unicorns and discover how to make whale noises as you explore the amazing world of mammals.
Marvel at the awesome life-size model of a blue whale suspended from the gallery ceiling. It’s the largest creature ever, bigger even than the dinosaurs, and is still alive today.
In the Middle Ages, people thought the narwhal’s tusk was the horn of a unicorn and it was in demand as an antidote to poisons. The narwhal is actually a small whale and its tusks, which are only found on males and can grow to as much as three metres long, are actually extended teeth.
There were once many animals in the proboscidean group, including the woolly mammoth, but the elephant is the only proboscidean alive today. Its tusks are actually long incisor teeth that can grow to over three metres long. In our display, you can see some of the heaviest tusks ever found.
Steller’s sea cow, a cold-water relative of manatees and dugongs, was discovered by a stranded ship’s crew in the Bering Strait, between Alaska and Siberia, in 1741. They found it was good to eat – and within 30 years it had been hunted to extinction.
