The whale

The hoard of bones of 6000 whales, dolphins and porpoises is one of the world's finest research resources – and may hold the key to the long-term future of ...

“What are we going to learn in the future?” “Suddenly we have this rich information about the life of an individual whale that was living in 1890,” Sabin says. “This information is written into the tissues of these animals,” Sabin says. What’s more, visible ridges on this hard, black baleen represent the annual peaks and troughs of her feeding cycle, and scientists found that about 18 months before she died she remained in the south for 10 months – probably to have a calf. “The skeleton was at right angles to the flow of the river, with the tail facing up the slope of the beach … “You’re looking at one of the best research collections of its kind in the world – what makes it unique is the species representation.” “This animal is now the largest, oldest dated specimen of this species anywhere in the world – this skeleton can tell us a lot.” For example, its DNA could reveal whether limited genetic diversity, climate or competition contributed to right whales’ vulnerability before commercial whaling. Crucially, collections such as this (one of only five of its kind in the world), may provide clues about how whales, dolphins and porpoises might respond to future stresses such as the climate crisis. But the back teeth, worn down to “stumpy pegs”, indicate that this whale was successfully eating giant squid, thanks to its highly specialised echolocation and efficient suction feeding. This vast room houses the Natural History Museum’s cetacean collection – a globally unique hoard of 6,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises. A selection of skulls lies on a low table; crudely stuffed animals hang from the painted breezeblock walls. Some of the biggest bones are laid out on storage units made of scaffolding, others are stacked against each other on racks – rows and rows of specimens.