Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
29 days ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
29 days ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
29 days ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
29 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Taiwan Tainan City Sperm Whale Exhibition Hall

Sperm Whale Exhibition Hall

Nestled between the Sicao Green Tunnel and Dazhong Temple, an antiquated exhibition hall boasts the complete skeletons of mother and child sperm whales.

Tainan City, Taiwan

Added By
Getty Hesse
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Sperm Whale Skeleton   mmmmngai@rogers.com / CC BY-SA 2.0
Sperm Whale Skeleton   mmmmngai@rogers.com / CC BY-SA 2.0
Dazhong Temple—the Exhibition Hall is just visible to the right   lienyuan lee
Sicao Green Tunnel   mmmmngai@rogers.com / CC BY-SA 2.0
Taijiang National Park visitor center   Guanting Chen / CC BY-SA 4.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Situated in Tainan's massive Taijiang National Park, between Sicao Green Tunnel, one of the city's most popular tourist destinations, and the imposing, 300-year-old Dazhong Temple, a small, unassuming building contains two complete sperm whale skeletons—a beached mother and child, now exhibited with charming red bows in the hollows of their skulls.

The skeletons form the centerpiece of the exhibition hall, but around the perimeter glass cases contain numerous preserved specimens of marine life, including seashells, crabs, baby sharks, tropical fish, and several catches from the deep sea. Also on display are artifacts of traditional Taiwanese equipment for fishing, cooking, and other daily activities.

Related Tags

National Parks Museums Skeletons Whale Bones Whales

Know Before You Go

The exhibition hall is open weekends and holidays from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is 10 NTD, or free with a ticket to see the Sicao Green Tunnel.

Community Contributors

Added By

gettyhesse

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy

  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

May 21, 2024

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sperm Whale Exhibition Hall
360號 Dazhong Rd
Tainan City, 709
Taiwan
23.019784, 120.135166
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Tomb of the Netherlander

Tainan City, Taiwan

miles away

Anping Tree House

Tainan City, Taiwan

miles away

Saba Milkfish Museum

Tainan City, Taiwan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Tainan City

Tainan City

Taiwan

Places 9

Nearby Places

Tomb of the Netherlander

Tainan City, Taiwan

miles away

Anping Tree House

Tainan City, Taiwan

miles away

Saba Milkfish Museum

Tainan City, Taiwan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Tainan City

Tainan City

Taiwan

Places 9

Related Places

  • 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.

  • The mounted whale next to its mounted skeleton

    Gothenburg, Sweden

    Malm Whale

    One of the world's few mounted blue whales, its jaws are hinged open allowing visitors to descend into a lounge.

  • Looks pretty decent for spending eight years underground

    Ubatuba, Brazil

    Ubatuba Whale

    What killed this humpback whale is a mystery, but its remains have become legendary.

  • Fetal whale skeleton

    New Bedford, Massachusetts

    The Oozing Whale Skeleton of New Bedford

    For 20 years, this whale skeleton has been slowly dripping oil on the floor of the museum where it hangs.

  • Skeleton of the whale.

    Kilbrittain, Ireland

    Kilbrittain Whale

    The skeleton of a whale that beached itself in this Irish town is now on display in their public park.

  • Folk artist Ben Ploughman’s studio in Port Au Choix, Newfoundland.

    Port au Choix, Newfoundland and Labrador

    Museum of Whales and Things

    A chaotic collection of maritime artifacts, art, and really whatever else happens to be around.

  • Bones on display in the museum.

    Rīga, Latvia

    RSU Anatomy Museum

    See an anatomy teaching collection assembled in the 1920s and 1930s.

  • New Bedford, Massachusetts

    The Lagoda

    The New Bedford Whaling Museum in Massachusetts displays what it calls the world's largest ship model.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.