23 Items Tagged

Whale Bones

Along the Vietnamese coast, temples constructed in reverence to whales and other marine mammals—such as this one in Phan Thiet—house valuable information on the country’s little-studied cetaceans.

How Vietnam’s Ancient Whale Temples Are Helping Science

For centuries, hundreds of shrines have preserved crucial information about the marine mammals' diversity and distribution.

Anne Pinto-Rodrigues September 19, 2022

Detail of Whalebone Fence on the Wadden Sea island of Rømø

Rømø, Denmark

Whale Jawbone Fence

Danish whalers once brought back whale bones to use as building materials in places where wood was scarce.

Egypt is home to fossils that include a range of ancient marine animals, such as this early whale from Wadi al-Hitan, southwest of Cairo.

Meet the Egyptian Scientists Studying 'Ghosts' of the Desert

The country's extensive fossils include early ancestors of whales, the largest mammals on the planet.

Jessica Leigh Hester September 21, 2021

Podcast: Valley of the Whales

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

The Podcast Team July 7, 2021

Podcast: Ubatuba Whale(s)

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

The Podcast Team June 21, 2021

Fetal whale skeleton

10 Wondrous, Waterless Whales

From massive, still-oozing skeletons to a behemoth made of thousands of pounds of recycled plastic.

Jessica Leigh Hester August 19, 2020

Fish Out of Water

From soaring sculptures to smoked spreads, here are 14 places to see aquatic life without getting wet.

Jessica Leigh Hester August 13, 2020

natural history museums

A Dead, Decomposing Whale Once Toured the United Kingdom

The Tay Whale brought together science, spectacle, and hucksterism in the quest to turn a buck.

Jessica Leigh Hester October 16, 2019

Merman.

Fenwick Island, Delaware

Discoversea Shipwreck Museum

A desiccated merman and a walrus penis bone are among the oddities in this eclectic collection of shipwreck treasures.

After a multi-year burial in horse manure, Stumpy was excavated, scrubbed with soap, and brought to the Museum where she was later put on display.

natural history museums

Why a Local Museum Keeps Burying Whales Under Raleigh, North Carolina

It mostly has to do with grease.

Bradley Allf October 17, 2017

The Jaw

Schiermonnikoog, Netherlands

Whale Jaw of Schiermonnikoog

An awe-inspiring giant blue whale jaw bone stands in the center of this Dutch island.

Arco della Costa

Whale Bone of Arco della Costa

A whale rib was used to advertise the store by the arch that offered exotic goods from far away.

200-year-old skeleton of The King of All Whales

An Hải, Vietnam

Lang Tan Temple (Temple of the Whale)

Home to what locals claim is the largest whale skeleton in Southeast Asia, which is worshiped yearly.

Edward Penniman House and Barn

Eastham, Massachusetts

Captain Edward Penniman House

The Cape Cod house that whaling built.

When in the market for a complete whale skeleton, one does whatever it takes

10 Places Where You Can See Whale Bones Outside a Museum

Whales figure into town arches, church façades, and more.

Eric Grundhauser August 17, 2016

Whalebone Arch.

Barrow Whale Bone Arch

The "Gateway to the Arctic" connects Barrow's indigenous population with the sea and its traditional industry: whaling.

Whitby Abbey through the Whale Bones

Whitby, England

Whitby Whale Bone Arch

These 20-foot jaw bones honor a time when the leviathan bones were a sign that whalers survived the hunt.

The Whale Bone Arch in Bragar, Isle of Lewis.

Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Whale Bone Arch

A whale's jawbone and a malfunctioning harpoon welcome you to the village of Bragar and its lore.