CEDO: Fin Whale Skeleton

 Right as you pull up to the CEDO parking lot you can see this huge whale skeleton staring back at you. It is a Fin Whale Skeleton or 'Balaenoptera physalus' which is a species of baleen whale, and the second largest cetacean after the blue whale. Fin whales are usually around 61-66ft and 100,000 lbs, which is a little longer than a ten-pin bowling lane. Fin whales are found all around the world in deep oceans but are mainly found in the northern hemisphere. The fin whale gets its name from the easy-to-spot fin on its back near its tail. Fin whales were hunted for quite a while by commercial fishers, for their baleen, oil, and meat. For many years street lamps were the burning fat of whales. This is why their population has been severely lowered and is listed as endangered in the Northern Atlantic.  

You may be wondering how this amazing creature ended up dead and saved by the CEDO team. One day in 1984 along the Northern Gulf of California a fin whale ended up in the shallow waters of an estuary. With the fin whale's large body size and no legs, the whale was unable to move and its heavy body crushed its own lungs. Thankfully, a Puerto Peñasco visitor informed CEDO about the washed-up Fin Whale in La Pinta Estuary, CEDO leaders and a student group spent two long and stinky days cleaning the whale and preserving the whole carcass. They didn't know it at the time but it was going to become a huge part of CEDOs mission. 






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