The Articulation of Orca O319: All of the Pieces Put Together!

On Sunday, June 9^th, we finished our articulation (all except for the right flipper, which will be completed at a later date. Read more about that here). The  hyoids, scapulae, flipper, pelvic bones, and skull were all attached to complete O319’s skeleton. Over the last five weeks, we had 286 total pieces to assemble.

The skeleton will be on display in the Built for Speed Orca Lab (where we assembled it) through September 29^th, so you still have plenty of time to come see it up close. After the Built for Speed exhibit closes, O319 will have a permanent home hanging somewhere on the main floor (just like our Blue Whale skeleton).

It’s been a fun 5 weeks! Thanks to all who came by and asked some great questions!

-Laura Wilkinson, Curatorial Assistant and Specimen Preparator, Ornithology and Mammalogy  

All marine mammal stranding activities were conducted under authorization by the National Marine Fisheries Service through a Stranding Agreement issued to the California Academy of Sciences and MMPA/ESA Permit No. 932-1905/MA-009526.