Where Dead Whales Go To Live: Smithsonian Whale Warehouse

The short (3 minute) video below explains the process of collecting and displaying whales. Per the YouTube description:

Seeing a massive skeleton on display in a museum gallery is the last step in a long journey from living animal to educational specimen. Where do these animals come from and how are they collected and prepared? 

This video takes you behind the scenes at one of the world’s largest collections of marine mammals at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.

More information at A Century of Whales at the Smithsonian Institution:

Since the nineteenth century, the Smithsonian has also been at the forefront of whale exhibition. Phoenix—a 45-foot, 2300-pound, full-scale model of the Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) and the centerpiece of the new Sant Ocean Hall—is the culmination of over a century’s-worth of innovation in the scientific casting and modeling of whales.

Finalists from Smithsonian’s Annual Photo Contest announced - vote for Readers Choice awards.

Smithsonian has just announced the 70 finalists for their 13th annual photo contest and voting is now open from now until March 21, 2016 for the Readers’ Choice Winner. The Grand Prize, Readers’ Choice, and seven category winners (a total of nine awards) will be announced on March 22, and the 14th Annual Photo Contest will open for submissions that same day.

A selection is below, but go to the Smithsonian site to see all of the finalists - this same link has the winners of each previous year.

© Albert Ivan Damanik. All rights reserved

Remaining on the Slopes of Mount Sinabung

Volcanic material flows from the Mount Sinabung, as seen from the village of Jeraya, North Sumatra, Indonesia on June 26, 2015. Indonesia's Mount Sinabung Mount intermittently spewed burning ash and gas, a week after authorities told residents to evacuate the danger zone within a radius of seven kilometers.

© Simone Sbaraglia. All rights reserved

 Catching Fish

This photograph was taken in January 2015 on Lake Kerkini, Greece. The dalmatian pelicans that inhabit that area have grown accustomed to humans since fishermen have fed them for hundreds of years. Their presence helps maintain a balanced ecosystem.

© ARCHNA SINGH. All rights reserved

Muscle Power

These two sub-adult tiger cubs, aged around 21 months, are engaged in a mock fight, a part of their learning process to acquire stalking and self-defense skills. Taking advantage of the fact that a sibling’s attention was diverted for a moment, the other charged her and what was witnessed was a sheer moment of awe when these beautiful and magnificent animals were standing upright just for a moment and you could see the rippling muscles and the power that these biggest cats hold. No more than a few seconds and it was all over where one of the siblings is seen lying down in a submissive position – a pose that tells the opponent that the rival has surrendered. Definitely a rare moment to be captured in the wild, these playful lessons that the siblings engage in are a crucial learning lesson for their adult life.

© Valery Romanov. All rights reserved

Three Black Cows

After evening rain and a foggy morning, the sun rose over the autumn plain, and three black cows appeared through the mist.

© Ricardo Cisneros. All rights reserved

Wildebeest Leap

This photograph was taken in Kenya at the Maasai Mara reserve during the annual wildebeest migration.

© Tuan Nguyen Manh. All rights reserved.

Catch the sunset

The fishermen are tossing the net under the sunset.

Previous post: Finalists for the 2012 Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest