We have a new blog in the Museum of Natural History family! Once in Whale is an exciting new site all about our whale skeleton conservation project. Visitors to the Museum will remember being greeted by an enormous jaw bone, which belonged to a sperm whale. Exploring further you would have seen spectacular skeletons suspended from the roof.
After over 100 years on display, the whales are unsurprisingly looking a little worse for wear. Dust, decay and water that dripped through the roof have all taken their toll. It’s time for a bit of TLC and the Museum’s year of closure has provided the ideal opportunity.
So, who is behind this conservation project? The team is headed by Bethany Palumbo, Conservator of Life Sciences at the Museum of Natural History. Donning her hard hat to work alongside Bethany is Gemma Aboe, recently appointed as Assistant Conservator.
So far, there are just 2 posts up on the Once in a Whale blog, but already I’ve learned a huge amount about whales and their conservation. For example, did you know that the Lesser Fin Whale is the second longest animal in the world?! Each post by the ‘whale team’ will tell you about the different whale specimens involved and the conservation treatments they’ll be experiencing. Keep following for progress updates and to see the big reveal of the finished sparkling skeletons.
Rachel Parle, Education Officer
More Than A Dodo 
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