Visitors to the Oregon Coast this holiday weekend can be among the first to view the completed display of a 70-foot blue whale skeleton that was assembled over the last week at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport.

The whale washed up dead on a beach near Gold Beach, Oregon, in 2015. At the time, leaders of OSU’s Marine Mammal Institute recognized a rare opportunity to turn an unfortunate loss into a resource for learning and discovery. Over the last 10 years, they have worked to bring the project to fruition with the help of donors and a Canadian company hired to lead the preservation and display effort.

“The impact of the finished display is powerful and humbling. It will inspire everyone who sees it,” said Lisa T. Ballance, director of the Marine Mammal Institute and interim associate vice president for marine research operations and executive director of Hatfield Marine Science Center.

“All are welcome to visit Hatfield in person and stand in the presence of this magnificent animal.”

The blue whale skeleton at Hatfield Marine Science Center is one of only a handful of such skeletons available for public viewing in North America, and the only one between Vancouver, British Columbia, and the San Francisco Bay area. Blue whales – the largest animals ever to live – are endangered. Because they live primarily in the deep ocean, they are rarely visible to the public and tend to sink when they die.

A three-person crew from Alberta, Canada-based Dinosaur Valley Studios assembled the 5,500-pound skeleton on a steel support frame, installing many of the 180 individual bones one at a time. The entire process was captured on live web cameras and in a series of time-lapse videos.

Updated landscaping and permanent signage will be added to the display in the coming weeks, but visitors to the coast can see the skeleton now. It is in the courtyard of the Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building and is a short walk from the Hatfield Marine Science Center’s visitor center, a public educational center that features exhibits and hands-on activities focused on ocean life, marine research and innovation.

Business hours at the Hatfield Marine Science Center campus are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday except holidays. The visitor center is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, including Memorial Day. The ramp at the Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building is open from dawn to dusk daily.

For more information on the project, visit: beav.es/bones.

Source: Oregon State University