It is believed that out of the 20 million species on the earth, only around 1.75 million living creatures have official names. Most of those unnamed species are marine descendants of creatures that originated in the ocean about 3 billion years ago.

The ocean has varied ecosystems and many different kinds of habitats, such as the low water levels of the seashore, deep seas and polar seas. Though all organisms need oxygen to survive, the diversity and extremity of ocean environments meant that the evolution of marine life resulted in vastly different creatures to land animals.

This exhibition, through displays of fossils and other specimens, sheds light on the life of ancient underwater creatures and how they likely evolved to those of today; till Nov. 27.

Osaka Museum of Natural History; (06) 6697-6221; 1-23 Nagai Koen, Higashi Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka-shi; 10-min. walk east of Nagai Station (South Exit 3), Midosuji Line. 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. ¥1,200. Closed Mon., Sept. 20, Oct. 11; open Sept. 19, Oct. 10. www.mus-nh.city.osaka.jp.