A rare blue whale skeleton will soon be on display at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center after a decade-long preservation effort that began when the animal washed ashore near Gold Beach in 2015.
Lisa Ballance, interim executive director of the Hatfield Marine Science Center and director of Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute, said the whale was an adult male measuring just under 70 feet long.
Scientists who examined the carcass found evidence suggesting the whale had been in poor health before likely being struck by a ship.
“The animal was underweight, which means it had not been eating well prior to death,” Ballance said. “The bruising indicates that it was struck, probably by blunt force trauma, at multiple locations on the body prior to death.”
Blue whale strandings are rare on the Oregon coast.
Ballance said researchers saw the opportunity not only to study one of the largest animals ever to live on Earth, but also to inspire the public.
“I am convinced that no one will be able to see this without being deeply touched just because of the awesomeness of the size of the animal,” she said.
Preserving the skeleton required years of work by researchers, students and volunteers.
Crews spent nine days removing flesh from the bones before placing them in mesh bags in Yaquina Bay for three years, allowing marine scavengers to clean them naturally.
The bones then underwent a lengthy degreasing process to remove hundreds of pounds of whale oil before reconstruction began.
Guest
- Lisa Ballance, director, OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center
