"Bizarre Beasts" looks across the entire animal kingdom to find the most puzzling creatures Mother Nature has ever shown us, past and present.
From today's realm, the hammerhead shark unlike most is normal compared to others that have roamed the ocean.
Right in the same display you'll see one artist's conception of the ancient helicoprion, a shark-like animal which had a spiral of teeth.
Scientists disagree on how that was configured.
Locally, experts think the band of teeth was at the front of the mouth. Others disagree, claiming that such a position would have slowed helicoprion's swimming and made it a less-effective hunter. We'll never know for sure.
To get an idea how scientists have had to "fill in the blanks" about a creature like helicoprion, browse its name in a search engine and see how varied the images are which come up.
Dr. Ted Daeschler, one of the academy's paleontologists, encourages visitors to come and let their imagination run wild.
Think about why characteristics developed in these animals, and, in the case of the extinct, why they were no longer able to compete in the world at large.
He says many animals had helmet-like head structures. Some used these in combat. In other cases, they may have been something a potential mate found attractive.
This exhibit provides an excellent opportunity to let a child muse about how strange animals came to be, and why most of them died out.
Changing Exhibit Coordinator Janette Grieb says, this program differs from a lot of what the academy presents.
When you go to Dinosaur hall, for example, you see skeletal remains or skeletal recreations of dinosaurs, an animal's "framework."
In this exhibit, you see more than 100 models of odd animals, produced by artist Gary Staab.
He is a sought-after illustrator whose work appears in several museums.
The models are life-sized and as realistic as today's science can make them.
In some cases, you'll be glad you can't meet the animals in real like!
For more information go to the academy's website, http://www.ansp.org
