It’s the largest collection of its kind in the world: An entire cache of massive 20-feet-long whale skulls, 70-foot spines, giant flippers and much more.

If you ever get the chance to see the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s “Whale Bone Repository” up close, your eyes aren’t deceiving you, what you’re seeing is in fact real!

In today’s episode of “Matt About Town,” we’re continuing our exploration of the National Museum of Natural History’s Museum Support Center, the museum’s remote, secure campus in Suitland, Maryland. At the center, the Smithsonian holds all the items rotating in and out of display at the actual museum in D.C.

The support center also houses several other research collections aside from whale bones, which remain here, and offer one of rarest behind-the-scenes glimpses into the lives of these giants of the sea.

Aside from the “wow factor” of just seeing these bones — including a blue whale skull from Canada — up close, this collection also offers valuable insight into our natural world, particularly as it pertains to how our ocean ecosystems are faring.

As research zoologist and curator of marine mammals Michael McGowen (our guide for this adventure) told us, whales are the ocean’s largest predator, and we’re still learning new things about them every day. One recent species housed in the repository, Rice’s whale, was only just named a species in 2021, and there are fewer than 100 estimated to be living in the wild.

As we found out: With each new discovery, this Smithsonian collection, which has been going strong since the 1830s, can help whales thrive for generations to come. Buckle up for a deep dive like no other!

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