A first for Scotland, the exhibition opens at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston in Edinburgh until 18 October and will showcase 50 ethically sourced, real-life specimens of creatures from Baleen whales to dolphins, stingrays and even a giant squid.

Visitors to the one-off exhibition will be able to learn all about the complex life systems within these creatures, and why we need to protect our precious ocean life.

The painstakingly preserved displays use the same plastination process developed by Dr. Gunther von Hagens and made famous by artist Damien Hirst, replacing fluids and soluble fats with resins and allowing us to view incredibly accurate ‘cross-sections’ of the creatures. The exhibition is brought to the UK by Culture Event Creative in partnership with the Scottish Association for Maritime Science (SAMS).

Alongside the many full-body exhibits will be a host of smaller displays, including the lung and eyeball of a Minke Whale, a whale’s kidney, the egg of a King Penguin, a Sea Lion’s heart and shark’s teeth. In total, over 200 exhibits will be on show.

The educational exhibition will also feature Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, digital interactive experiences allowing visitors to immerse themselves in an underwater world.

Naz Kabir of Culture Event Creative, commented: “Our fascination with the oceans is unwavering and the chance to get up-close and hands on with these majestic creatures is an incredible experience for children and adults.

“Sea Creatures gives visitors the chance to learn about the animals who inhabit the same planet as us, but very rarely - if ever - cross our paths, and our interactive and tactile displays create an incredible opportunity to find out more about the creatures themselves, but also the many ways we can become involved in marine conservation and help to preserve the beautiful ocean life that is so important to us all.”

Tickets are available now at www.seacreaturestour.com with launch day (21 September) offered at a 50% discount. Enter the discount code LAUNCH50 for 50% off standard prices.