Get up close to the fossil remains of giant reptiles that once ruled Angola’s waves. After the South Atlantic Ocean basin formed 120 million years ago, mosasaurs, plesiosaurs, and sea turtles moved in and thrived along Africa’s southwest coast. Projecto PaleoAngola scientists continue to uncover the fossils of these real-life sea monsters, shedding light on this period in Earth’s history—and on ocean ecosystems today.

Inside the Ocean Focus Gallery, you can explore modern Angola’s fossil-filled cliffs, dive into Cretaceous Angola’s cool coastal waters, and learn about the evolutionary, geological, and environmental forces that shaped life in the ocean then and now.

LOOK FOR: A full-size, 23-foot-long fossil reconstruction of a giant predatory mosasaur An animated mural teeming with sea monsters from Angola’s 72-million-year-old ocean ecosystem The fossil skull of the South Atlantic’s oldest species of sea turtle TO DO: Touch the teeth of a shell-crushing mosasaur—and the oyster shell fragments it left in its wake. Compare Angola’s ancient ocean ecosystems with today’s in a spinner interactive. Snap a selfie with a massive mosasaur that’s ready to bite.