The 80-foot whale fossil and 500,000 artifacts at McWane Science Center

The McWane Science Center is a science museum and research archive located in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. Housed in the refurbished Loveman's department store building, it opened to the public on July 11, 1998. The facility includes a hands-on science center, an aquarium, and a 250-seat IMAX Dome Theater.

On the lower level, the World of Water exhibit showcases more than 50 species of marine and freshwater aquatic life. Visitors can use a touch tank to see different species of small sharks and rays, observe shark teeth under a microscope, and view displays about water pollution.

The second floor houses the Alabama Collections Center, which holds more than 500,000 items from the former Red Mountain Museum and Discovery Place. The collection includes precious minerals, fossils, and Native American artifacts, such as the world's fourth-largest collection of mosasaurs and the state fossil of Alabama, the Basilosaurus cetoides, an 80-foot whale.

Also on the second floor is the Itty Bitty Magic City exhibit, which opened on May 16, 2015. Designed for smaller children, it features a climbing structure, a water play area, and a toddler area. The exhibit includes model buildings, such as a grocery store where children can learn about food groups while shopping with their parents.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons