In early July of 2018, I got a text from a co-worker saying a neonatal orca calf had washed up and that after the necropsy, it would come to the MaST! I truly never thought I’d get a chance to skeletonize an orca, as whales are hard enough to come by, let alone one of such local importance. As far as I am aware, there are less than 15 articulated orca skeletons in the United States, only three of them being calves. This could potentially be the smallest orca articulated, which will undoubtedly have its challenges. Young animals’ bones are soft, infused, and often still mostly cartilage. However, I am going to give it a go. If worst comes to worst, at least the MaST will get a cool skull out of it.
It was determined to be a female calf from the transient orcas (Bigg’s), not one of the resident orcas. Cascadia Research Collective did the necropsy and genetic sampling. Read more about it here!