Whales - Atlas Obscura
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Spijkenisse, Netherlands

'Saved by a Whale’s Tail'

This unique sculpture proved invaluable when it saved a train from careening off the tracks.
hunting

Over 200 Years, Humans Have Hunted Some of Antarctica's Animals Almost to Extinction

"We left the dead things, raw and meaty, lying on the beach," one sealer recalled.
Daniella McCahey and Alessandro Antonello December 8, 2020
natural history museums

What It Takes to Dismantle and Move a 40-Foot Whale Skeleton

Including welding skills, knowledge of anatomy, and infinite patience.
Luna Shyr November 5, 2020
Nantucket, Massachusetts

Captain George Pollard House

The island home of an unlucky whaling captain whose story inspired a great American novel.
List

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
List

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
whales

As the Arctic Warms, the Iñupiat Adapt

"What choice do we have?"
Jenna Kunze August 6, 2020
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

Whalers Cabin Museum

This cabin from the 1850s is one of the first structures built by Chinese immigrants in California.
whales

The Real Reason Whales Take Tropical Trips Each Year

No migration is too far for healthy skin.
Jennifer S. Holland March 3, 2020
museums

How Whopping Whale Skeletons Come to Life at 'Bonehenge'

“Every one of these animals has a story."
Megan Dohm December 5, 2019
food

Hitler’s Secret Antarctic Expedition for Whales

Whales meant margarine, and margarine meant victory.
Luke Fater November 6, 2019
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
science

Drone-Piloting Scientists 'Weighed' Whales From 130 Feet in the Air

In Argentina, aerial imagery helps researchers get a close look at southern right whales from a distance.
Jessica Leigh Hester October 2, 2019
natural history museums

The 'Moby-Dick' Musical Is Swimming With Sea Shanties and Nurdle Ballads

We watched it with a whale anatomist to see if the cetacean science holds water.
Jessica Leigh Hester August 2, 2019
Amsterdam Island, Norway

Smeerenburg Blubber Ovens

These circular ruins are all that remain of a 17th-century Arctic whaling outpost.
Alcoi, Spain

Llotja de Sant Jordi

This exhibition space designed to look like the skeleton of a whale is hidden underground.
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Ethyl the Whale

Life-sized sculpture of a blue whale made of hand-recycled plastic trash.
Fribourg, Switzerland

Taxidermy Whale of Fribourg

This unique preservation is one of the only taxidermies in the world made with real whale skin.