LWL-Museum für Naturkunde

Something big has arrived in Münster! Whales conquer the LWL-Museum for Natural History.  Dolphins, Sperm Whales and co. will reveal their secrets in the approx. 1,700 square meters sized special exhibition “Whales – Giants of the Oceans” in the LWL-Museum for Natural History in Münster.
Whales are the giants of the oceans and real record holders. For example, the biggest animal on earth is the Blue Whale, which even beats a dinosaur of the primitive time. The heart of the thirty meters long whale is as big as a small car.

But it is not only the size of the mysterious sea dwellers that fascinates us. The much smaller Dolphins impress us with their clever tricks. They use, for example, tools to search for food and communicate with each other while hunting. The Sperm Whale – the grey giant of the deep sea – is an everlasting mystery. What does the world look like 3,000 meters deep and how can the whale hunt gigantic cephalopods in complete darkness?

We show you something, which is unique in Germany: The first whales existed already ca. 55 million years ago. But the whales’ four-legged ancestors first had to find back their way into the water. In our Natural History Museum you will see impressive replications of ancient whales. Their skeletons will help you understand the whales’ evolutionary development and explain why they populate all of the world’s oceans today. 

Highlights of the exhibition are the original skeletons of modern whales like the Fin Whale and the Sperm Whale. True-to-life models and unique movie clips make the whales come to life in the different sections of the exhibition. The exhibition’s various topics deal with the whales’ habitats, taxonomy, evolution, anatomy, way of living, reproduction, whale hunt and harassment as well as protection. 

Dive into the world of the unique sea giants and find out what connects whales and hippos and whether Orcas are really the most dangerous predators. Explore the world of the whales and learn what threatens the existence of the giant sea dwellers and how we can protect these extraordinary animals.

The special exhibition shows the great diversity of whales and will amaze our young and old visitors. National Geografic Deutschland is media partner of the exhibition.

For our special exhibition „Whales – the Giants of the Oceans” we offer audio guides with a family-friendly program in German and in English. For visitors with hearing impairment we offer a multimedia guide as well as an induction loop! You can get your electronic museum guide in our museum shop (Tue-Sun 9am – 5pm I Charge: 2.00€ per device)