As you look out at the desert from the pavilion, it's hard to imagine that a shallow sea once covered much of Texas, followed by a swampy coast. Fossils and displays spotlight the amazing plants and animals that thrived here over the last 130 million years – the teeth on the 18ft-long sea-dwelling Xiphactinus, which looks like an overgrown piranha, are truly the stuff of nightmares. Local dinosaurs get plenty of attention, too.
The exhibit is 18 miles south of the Persimmon Gap Visitor Center, near Mile 9 on the main park road.
