Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids opens Saturday, Feb. 16, with a long holiday weekend of unusual hands-on activities that draw on the nature of discovery and illustrate the difference between scientific fact and mythical fiction.

Did someone say unicorn poop? Yes. During the exhibit’s opening weekend at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, visitors will be able to make unicorn poop soap slime as they learn how the unicorn myth could have arisen from sightings of the narwhal, an Arctic whale with a long protruding tusk on its head.

On Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Feb 16, 17 and 18, museum visitors will be invited to:

• Examine Academy specimens — a manatee, octopus and skull of a crocodile — and compare them to their mythical counterparts — the mermaids, krackens and dragons.
• Chat with Academy expert to learn about the real animals that inspired the mythic legends.
• Mix secret ingredients to make unicorn poop soap slime, while hearing about the origin of unicorns and how they compare to real animals.
• Watch live sea monkeys in action and find out what they really are by comparing them to shrimp.
• Observe a squid dissection and see how the anatomy compares to the imaginary kraken, a sea monster with enormous tentacles that allegedly tossed ships on the high seas.
• Practice writing with real squid ink.
• Meet some live animals that ancient people believed were dragons and griffins.

These activities are free with museum admission. They also will be offered during the exhibit’s closing weekend, Saturday and Sunday, June 8­ and 9.

Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (amnh.org). The exhibit traces the natural and cultural roots of some of the world’s most enduring creatures of myth.

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