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The Calvert Marine Museum will once again highlight the ultimate apex predator of the marine world during SHARKFEST 2012 on Saturday, July 14 from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Regular museum admissions applies, CMM members are free.

Sharks are one of the world’s most fascinating creatures. Live sharks and sturgeon will be featured in the Corbin Pavilion. The museum will be full of hands-on opportunities to explore the diversity of sharks and their remarkable history on planet Earth. Learn fascinating shark facts at interactive Sharkfact Stations (did you know that chain dogfish sharks glow in the dark?), examine evidence of prehistoric sharks, paint a shark mural, make a shark hat, get your face painted ($5 fee), take your picture in the jaws of a Megalodon shark, and attend “Shark Bites” – short curator talks on sharks in the auditorium at 11:00 a.m. 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. GenOn Aquaculture Facility staff will be on hand to bring visitors up close and personal with Chesapeake Bay native Atlantic sturgeon. The award winning Museum Store will be fully stocked with all things shark for the occasion.

Both vilified and ruthlessly hunted, this keystone species is becoming seriously threatened. Evidence of sharks dates back 450 million years, and shark fossils similar to modern species date back over 100 million years. Sharks are highly adaptable and now live in every ocean in the world in warm, temperate, and cold waters. Learn why preserving these ancient and animals is critical to the health of our oceans. What we do above the waters of the Chesapeake Bay trickles into neighboring oceans, even to the great ocean depths where the chain dogfish shark makes its residence off the coast of Maryland.

Regular admission applies for SHARKFEST 2012, museum members are free. Complimentary museum passes will not be honored and strollers are not allowed in the museum. There will be food vendors on site.

Photo by Robert Hall: The anatomy of sharks is revealed both inside and out during SHARKFEST. Pictured is Dr. Stephen Godfrey, Curator of Paleontology.

Photo by Carrie Munn: Have your photo taken in the jaws of a Megalodon!

See Chain dogfish in the Live Shark and Sturgeon Pavilion