Connections to Other Museum Halls

Continue your exploration of mythic creatures around the Museum with these specimens and artifacts.

Hall of Asian Peoples
(click to enlarge)
©AMNH

Hall of Pacific Peoples
(click to enlarge)
©AMNH

Spitzer Hall of Human Origins - Click to enlarge

Hall of Asian Peoples (2nd floor)
Dragons and other mythic creatures abound in this hall. Some places to look: In the Traditional China section, Chinese gods ride dragons in the temple display, and dragons with various forms and meanings appear in the Taoism display. The theater case features a splendid dragon-adorned actor's robe. Look for a metal vessel with a dragon handle and spout in the Tibet section.

Hall of Pacific Peoples (3rd floor)
Many displays in this hall contain fantastic creatures. In the Indonesia section, look for the creaturelike masks and puppets used for performances. Spot creatures in the hanging textiles to the left of the puppets. In the Solomon Islands section, two wooden figures are half human, half shark. And observe a stunning Balinese paper calendar adorned with many interesting beings in the Margaret Mead in the Field section.

Spitzer Hall of Human Origins (1st floor)
Follow the hall to the rear section to explore how we as humans are unique in the ability to express ourselves through symbols in art, music, and language.

Milstein Hall of Ocean Life (1st floor)
Pause on the mezzanine before descending into the hall. Look down and left. You'll see a case with several dolphins piercing the ocean's surface. Early sailors may have mistaken a similar scene as many parts of a single sea serpent emerging from the water. Near the dolphin case is a giant squid tussling with a sperm whale.

Hall of Biodiversity (1st floor)
A full-scale model of the giant squid hangs from the ceiling. Only recently were scientists able to observe this real-life "sea monster" in its natural habitat.

Hall of Ornithischian Dinosaurs (4th floor)
Look at the growth series of Protoceratops skulls along one wall. Behind you are two adults with a nest of eggs. Fossils like these may have inspired the myth of the griffin. Look for skeletal features that appear griffinlike.