Special Exhibition: Once Upon a Sea

Once Upon a Sea
- A special exhibition all about the history of the ocean and the spectacular sea creatures of the past.


Welcome to Once Upon A Sea

Long before humans roamed the earth, the ocean was teeming with life; from giant sea lizards to bizarre creatures that look nothing like the animals we know today. The ancient oceans tell an exciting story about the origins of life, and of the time where our ancestors crawled from the oceans and unto the land. The ocean’s history is not only your history too, but a tale of the drastic changes in the climate and the environment, and what that means for the survival of a species.

Welcome to the ocean, as you’ve never seen it before.

Plan your visit
Getting here


Get up close to prehistoric giants

The heart of the exhibit is 10 models of the most spectacular ocean creatures that ever lived.

The models are life sized and represent a snippet of the most significant animals to have lived in the 550 million years of ocean history. From giant scaled octopi the size of a truck, to the 11-meter-long forefather of the white shark, the megalodon.

Meet the models


A time travelling journey under the sea

The oceans of today are a reflection of 550 million years of impressive history; a story about the nature that surrounds us, and that we live in now. Even our own bodies hide glimpses of that story, and reveal our ancestry with the fish that walked on land.

Join us on a time travelling journey under the sea, with 1:1 models and beautiful aquariums, and explore the story of the rise and fall of the most spectacular prehistoric animals and their modern ancestors.

With our special exhibition “Once Upon a Sea”, we are highlighting the ocean’s importance and history as a life-creating environment; from the creation of life until now. A story about a harsh environment, where it’s survival of the fittest.


Thanks to the following foundations

  • Knud Højgaards Fond
  • Novo Nordisk Fonden
  • Dampskibsselskabet NORDEN A/S // D/S Orient’s Fond
  • Louis Petersens Legat
  • Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond
  • 15. juni Fonden
  • Beckett-Fonden
  • Dronning Margrethes og Prins Henriks Fond
  • Frimodt-Heineke Fonden
  • Toyota-Fonden