Prehistoric predators on show at London Natural History Museum's 'Jurassic Oceans'

Prehistoric ocean predators are the focus of a new major exhibition at London's Natural History Museum, opening on Friday (May 22).

"Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep" looks at the marine reptiles that roamed the waters 200 million years ago while dinosaurs dominated on land.

"'Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep' takes you into the oceans of the Jurassic period. So while we know that dinosaurs were dominating on the land, pterosaurs were swooping through the skies, in the oceans there were these enormous marine reptiles lurking in the depths," Kate Whittington, exhibition manager at the Natural History Museum, told Reuters at a press preview on Wednesday (May 20). 

"So while you think it might have been safer to dip your toe in the waters during the Jurassic, that was not the case and this exhibition really uncovers what was lurking in the deep at that time."

Among the fearsome specimens on show are remains of ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and mosasaurs. There are also displays looking at Jurassic fish, sharks and ammonite as well as remains of animals from today.

Asked what she hoped visitors would take away from the exhibition, Whittington said: "I think an appreciation of large ocean predators.

"So these are really exciting creatures that lived in the oceans in the Jurassic, but also thinking about our oceans today, they're not just exciting because they're thrilling predators, but they're also really important for ocean ecosystems and just getting people to think about the sharks and whales and crocodiles that we have today and their importance for keeping our planet healthy."

"Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep" runs until January.

-Ben Makori, Marie-Louise Gumuchian/Reuters