The hoard of bones of 6,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises is one of the world’s finest research resources – and may hold the key to the long-term future of these species
ehind a 10-foot tall door, in a secret location, lies a treasure trove of bones. Some of the biggest bones are laid out on storage units made of scaffolding, others are stacked against each other on racks – rows and rows of specimens. The smallest are tucked into drawers of faded-yellow metal cabinets. A selection of skulls lies on a low table; crudely stuffed animals hang from the painted breezeblock walls. Everything is carefully labelled.
It is the most complete collection of these creatures in the world, containing specimens of 90% of the world’s 90 cetacean species, including 24 from UK waters. Fused vertebrae from the North Atlantic right whale discovered in the Thames mud at Greenwich in 2010, which shows the animal was elderly. Carbon dating suggests the whale died between 1580 and 1660
. In addition to 800 strandings, there are remnants from whaling expeditions and archaeological finds, some stretching as far back as 500 years.the Thames whale lies in state Another was uncovered in 2010 as builders dug new jetty foundations at Greenwich, in London. Huge bones sticking up out of the muddy Thames foreshore were identified by Sabin as a headless North Atlantic right whale. “The skeleton was at right angles to the flow of the river, with the tail facing up the slope of the beach … that’s not a natural stranding position,” he says.
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