Fort Bragg’s Blue Whale Skeleton

Future home of Fort Bragg’s blue whale skeleton.

Here’s a whale of a tale from the City of Fort Bragg’s website:

“Blue whales are the largest animals on earth! They are 3 times larger than the largest dinosaur, their tongues alone can weigh as much as an elephant, and their hearts are the size of a small automobile. They can grow to more than 100 feet long and weigh upwards of 200 tons. So when a 73-foot blue whale suffered a lethal strike by a ship’s propeller and washed up in a finger cove near Fort Bragg in the fall of 2009, the heartache was felt deeply by our community. Seeing this majestic whale on our shore brought our community together.

“The Story of Recovery

The very first pictures of the blue whale onshore propelled this community into action. In an unprecedented event, students and scientists, parents and grandparents, business owners and workers, all walked away from their normal lives and over a week’s time, hauled 70 tons of bones and blubber up a 40-foot cliff to recover the skeleton for display in Fort Bragg. Working with NOAA, the City of Fort Bragg was given the rights to use the whale bones for educational purposes.” Blue whales are the largest animals on earth! They are 3 times larger than the largest dinosaur, their tongues alone can weigh as much as an elephant, and their hearts are the size of a small automobile. They can grow to more than 100 feet long and weigh upwards of 200 tons. So when a 73-foot blue whale suffered a lethal strike by a ship’s propeller and washed up in a finger cove near Fort Bragg in the fall of 2009, the heartache was felt deeply by our community. Seeing this majestic whale on our shore brought our community together. The Story of Recovery The very first pictures of the blue whale onshore propelled this community into action. In an unprecedented event, students and scientists, parents and grandparents, business owners and workers, all walked away from their normal lives and over a week’s time, hauled 70 tons of bones and blubber up a 40-foot cliff to recover the skeleton for display in Fort Bragg. Working with NOAA, the City of Fort Bragg was given the rights to use the whale bones for educational purposes.”