exhibits
Permanent Exhibits
An All-New Look at Natural History!
The Hall of Natural History is currently undergoing complete renovations, but
remains open throughout this process.
Featured in the hall are the mosasaur and Georgiacetus. Exhibits on whale
evolution, the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary and eocene mammals, as
well as a kids' interactive area, explore 80 million years of natural history
in the coastal plain. The Mosasaur
The 78-million year old, 26-foot long, fossil skeleton of a Mosasaur dominates
the Hall of Natural History. Mosasaurs were formidable marine carnivores inhabiting
the prehistoric waters that covered much of southern Georgia during the Mesozoic
Era. As a group, mosasaurs were especially diverse and abundant during the late
Cretaceous, the same period that Tyrannosaurus rex ruled the land. Over 85%
of the skeleton of the Georgia Southern Mosasaur was recovered, making this
world-class specimen a unique find. Visit our Mosasaur
online!The Vogtle Whale
The museum is home to the fossil and a replica of Georgiacetus vogtlensis, the oldest whale fossil found in North America.
This 40-million year old whale is named for Georgia Power's "Plant Vogtle" near Waynesboro, where the whale was unearthed.
The pelvic bones of this rare specimen, a major paleontological discovery, provide a link between land mammals and whales.
Visit our Vogtle Whale online!At left: GSU Palentologist Dr. Jonathan Geisler installs the Vogtle whale's skull.
Other Exhibits
The Georgia Southern Museum houses several other permanent collections, including the following:- A replica of a Mastodon skull
- Skeletons from modern vertebrates, including shark jaws, a sawfish bill, and a complete bottle-nosed dolphin (photo at right)
- The skeletal remains of a Bryde's Whale, including an upper jaw bone with part of the baleen attached
- Fossils of Pliocene invertebrates and vertebrates from southeastern Georgia.