A truly krilling exhibit in Newport

Newport’s Hatfield Marine Science Center is offering the chance to stand beneath the bones of the largest animal ever known to live on Earth at its newly completed blue whale skeleton display.

The massive, 70-foot skeleton, assembled earlier this month in the courtyard of the Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building, comes from a blue whale that washed ashore near Gold Beach in 2015. Scientists and staff with Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute recognized the rare educational opportunity and spent the past decade preserving the whale and preparing the bones for public display.

“The impact of the finished display is powerful and humbling. It will inspire everyone who sees it,” said Marine Mammal Institute Director Lisa T. Ballance. “All are welcome to visit Hatfield in person and stand in the presence of this magnificent animal.”

The display is one of only a handful of publicly viewable blue whale skeletons in North America and the only one between Vancouver, British Columbia, and the San Francisco Bay area. Blue whales are endangered and rarely seen by the public because they spend most of their lives in deep ocean waters and often sink after death.

A three-person crew from Dinosaur Valley Studios in Alberta, Canada assembled the 5,500-pound skeleton piece by piece on a custom steel frame, installing roughly 180 individual bones. The process was documented through live webcams and time-lapse video.

Additional landscaping and permanent signage will be added in the coming weeks, but visitors can begin viewing the display immediately. The skeleton is located a short walk from Hatfield’s visitor center, which features exhibits and hands-on activities focused on marine science and ocean life.

Hatfield Marine Science Center is located at 2030 SE Marine Science Drive in Newport. The visitor center is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm. For more information, go to beav.es/bones.