Whales - Atlas Obscura
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Whales

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Tokyo, Japan

The Whale Monument

This sculpture of whale emerging from the sidewalk commemorates the importance of baleen in a type of traditional Japanese puppetry.
science

A Whale of a Tale about a Science Breakthrough Ignored for Decades

In 1981, Helene Marsh and her mentor discovered the truth about a basic biological process—but it took many researchers years to accept it.
Madeline Bodin March 17, 2022
aquariums

The Tricky Business of Saving a Baby Beluga

For the first time, scientists were able to save a young whale stranded in Cook Inlet. What should happen next?
Sarah Durn February 7, 2022
South Burlington, Vermont

'Reverence' (Whales Tails)

A pair of black granite tails dive into a sea of grass in landlocked Vermont.
animals

Meet Outer Coast Killer Whales, Big Game Hunters of the Deep

Scientists say the animals have a distinct culture and vocal dialect, and specialize in taking down large prey.
Rochelle Baker November 8, 2021
science

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
deserts

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
animals

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
Pianoro, Italy

La Balena della Val di Zena

A great white whale sculpture now sits in the location where the remains of a prehistoric cetacean were found.
Florence, Oregon

Exploding Whale Memorial Park

Fifty years after a “blast blasted blubber beyond all believable bounds,” this idyllic natural area commemorates the carnage.
sailors

This Connecticut Inn Has Hosted Sea Chantey Singalongs for Half a Century

Landlubbers are very welcome.
Allison Hadley April 15, 2021
animals

The Beautiful, Brutal World of Whaleship Art

The logbooks kept by 19th-century Nantucket whalers offer a colorful peek into the gruesome industry.
Jessica Boyall January 25, 2021
science

Orca Post-Mortems Tell the Story of a Population Facing Numerous Threats

The apex predators mean a great deal both ecologically and culturally.
Luna Shyr January 25, 2021
Spijkenisse, Netherlands

'Saved by a Whale’s Tail'

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

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