Larger-than-life legendary creatures have filled the galleries at HistoryMiami Museum for its newest exhibition, “Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids.”
The exhibition traces the natural and cultural roots of some of the world’s most enduring fabled creatures from Asia, Europe, the Americas and beyond, and even takes a fascinating detour into how South Floridians embrace their own folkloric fantasies.
(HistoryMiami Museum)
One of the exhibition’s pieces includes a 120-foot-long Chinese parade dragon, used in New York City’s Chinatown to perform the traditional dragon dance during Lunar New Year celebrations.
Visitors to this downtown Miami Smithsonian affiliate will come face-to-face with a 17-foot-long dragon with a wingspan of nearly 20 feet, a giant kraken sea monster with 12-foot-long tentacles rising from a gallery floor, and a 10-foot-long unicorn bathed in violet light.
Exhibition highlights also include a 120-foot-long Chinese parade dragon, used in New York City’s Chinatown to perform the traditional dragon dance at Lunar New Year celebrations; a replica “Feejee mermaid,” made famous by showman P. T. Barnum; an 11-foot-long roc with large, sharp talons swooping above the heads of visitors with a wingspan of nearly 20 feet; and the largest bird ever to have lived, the more than 9-foot-tall, extinct Aepyornis, or elephant bird. Each brings to life the ways in which these myths may have begun.
A number of interactive stations and activities, including rearranging scale models of mammoth bones to look like a giant human skeleton and Protoceratops bones to look like a griffin skeleton, are also on offer.
(HistoryMiami Museum)
The chupacabra, a legendary creature found in the folklore of cultures across the Americas, is believed to drain farm animals of their blood.
Visitors can build their own dragon on an interactive touch screen and watch it come alive in a virtual environment. Videos include interviews with experts in various fields discussing the significance of various mythical creatures and their possible real-life counterparts.
The traveling exhibition is organized by the American Museum of Natural History in New York in collaboration with the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney, the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau-Ottawa, the Fernbank Museum of National History in Atlanta and the Field Museum in Chicago.
This iteration features a companion exhibition called “Mythic Miami” that pulls the lens from around the world to Miami’s own backyard, with tales of fantastical creatures inhabiting local waters, forests and skies.
(HistoryMiami Museum)
The “Mythic Creatures” exhibition, which will remain open through March 2024, provides excitement for everyone who passes through.
Vanessa Navarro Maza, folklife curator for HistoryMiami, said this locally focused component of the larger exhibition brings to life stories and artifacts that give people a glimpse into the worlds of some extraordinary beings.
Stories like Caribbean mermaids, Puerto Rico’s chupacabra and the Sunshine State’s own skunk ape have fascinated South Floridians for generations, while newly uncovered creatures make you imagine what else could be out there.
The Puerto Rican chupacabra, Navarro Maza said, was first seen in March 1995, when eight sheep were discovered dead, each with three puncture wounds in the chest and reportedly drained of blood. A few months later, someone reported seeing the creature in another small Puerto Rican town, where as many as 150 farm animals and pets were reportedly killed.
(HistoryMiami Museum)
Considered to be the Bigfoot of Florida, the skunk ape – represented here by casts “footprints” – is another mystical being you can meet at HistoryMiami.
The most common description of the chupacabra is that of a reptile-like creature, said to have leathery or scaly greenish-gray skin and sharp spines or quills running down its back. It is believed to be roughly three to four feet high, and hops in a fashion similar to that of a kangaroo.
Another common description is of a strange breed of wild dog, which is mostly hairless and has a pronounced spinal ridge, unusually pronounced eye sockets, fangs and claws. Unlike more conventional predators, the chupacabra is said to drain all of its animal victims’ blood, and sometimes organs, usually through three holes in the shape of a downward-pointing triangle, but sometimes through only one or two holes.
The skunk ape is an ape-like creature known to inhabit forests and swamps in the Southeastern United States. Perhaps most prominent in Florida, it is commonly referred to as the Florida Bigfoot. It is commonly described as being between 5-7 feet tall and covered in matted reddish-brown hair. Its name comes from its foul odor, often described as being similar to a skunk.
Several Everglades wildlife tour bus operators and their guests have reported alleged sightings. In 2000, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office received two anonymous photos depicting a large, hairy, ape-like creature. The author of the letter claimed to be an elderly woman who reported the creature had been stealing apples from her back porch.
“With our unique environment and the diverse mix of people living here, there are so many interesting stories and legends to explore about creatures native to our region or 'imported' from other places,” Navarro Maza said. “‘Mythic Miami’ dives into the historic and cultural context behind some of the creatures that have mystified our communities for years and caused people to wonder, could this really be true?”
She said the exhibition has something that would be of interest to everyone.
“We expected families to love this show, and they do. The kids are really excited to be able to see a life-size unicorn and dragon, and experience these wonder and awe moments. The adults are really into it, too,” she said. “There are a lot of great facts in there the parents are loving. We’re seeing all kinds of audiences finding something they can take away. People find pieces in the show that really pique their interest based on what they enjoy.”
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(HistoryMiami Museum)
The “Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids” exhibition at HistoryMiami provides a number of hands-on displays for children.
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(Justin Namon/HistoryMiami Museum)
Mermaids and women from the sea are common across many cultures.
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(Justin Namon/HistoryMiami Museum)
Ten feet long from tail to tip of horn, this white unicorn bathed in violet light is just one of the featured displays in HistoryMiami’s “Mythic Creatures” exhibition.
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(HistoryMiami Museum)
Families delighted in taking pictures during the opening weekend of “Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids” at HistoryMiami.