A griffin and unicorn are on display in Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns and Mermaids at the Ontario Science Centre. (Handout)

Tentacles from a Kraken -- a mythical gigantic sea monster -- emerge from the floor, a griffin -- a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle -- rears on its hind legs and a fossilized skull appears to stare from a single eye socket.

These models and artifacts in Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns and Mermaids shed light on the ways people around the world have been inspired by nature to depict strange and wonderful creatures, says Ellen Flowers, publicist for the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto.

Through preserved specimens and fossils of prehistoric animals, the exhibit on until Jan. 9 investigates and illustrates how these could have -- through imagination, speculation and even fear -- inspired the development of some legendary creatures.

"Even today, we are fascinated by claims of sightings of Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster, and stories of mermaids and unicorns remain part of popular culture," said Hooley McLaughlin, the centre's chief science officer.

Visitors come face-to-face with a five-metre dragon; a "life-sized" unicorn and a huge Roc with a wingspan of nearly seven metres, its sharp talons sweeping overhead.

There are two life-sized models of real creatures, an extinct primate called Gigantopithecus and the largest bird ever to have lived, the extinct Aepyornis, standing three metres tall.

Other highlights include a "Feejee mermaid," similar to those made famous by P.T. Barnum, created by sewing the head and torso of a monkey to the tail of a fish; a 37-metre Chinese parade dragon; a Pegasus carousel sculpture; and an 18th-century German apothecary sign featuring a unicorn, with an actual narwhal tusk as its horn. www.ontariosciencecentre.ca; (416) 696-1000.