06 Mar, 2012
An immersive new exhibition at the Museum of Nature: Whales Tohora
Posted by andrea tomkins in: - Ottawa for kids|Easy ways to make kids happy|Ottawa
My family and I were invited to attend a members-only preview of the new Whales Tohora exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Nature last week. We were pretty excited about this opportunity. We are big time nature buffs here at Casa Fishbowl and were looking forward to seeing what all the excitement was about.
I find whales pretty amazing don’t you? Think about it, swimming mammals! With blowholes! Whales are the largest living animals on our planet. Some have giant teeth while others eat tiny things they strain through a comb-like sieve. They socialize and communicate with one another though clicks and songs and haunting melodies and for all we know they might even be smarter than we are. Then there’s the evolution side of things. Did you their know their skeletons are remarkably similar to our own?
YET they are so still very poorly understood, that’s why I really appreciated Whales Tohora, because it shed some light on topics that I find utterly fascinating.
Tohora means “whale” in Maori (they are the indigenous people of New Zealand) which is where this exhibition comes from. Whales are regarded with reverence here and the Maori have a complex relationship with them; they see whales as friends, guardians and food… and they figure prominently in Maori culture.
The centrepiece of this exhibition is two fully articulated sperm-whale skeletons, one male and one female. The little one is the female, and the big male is 17.8-metres long. It’s quite a sight.
Two articulated sperm whale skeletons are a highlight of the Whales | Tohorä exhibition. © Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, 2008
Note: Photography is strictly prohibited in this exhibition at the request of the lending institution, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. The Museum of Nature supplied this photo to me.
In case you’re wondering, Sperm whales are the ones with the odd-shaped mouth. They have the largest teeth of all mammals, and although they don’t have any teeth in the upper jaw there are about 60 in the lower one. Their teeth are about 20 cm long and weigh approximately 3 kg (6 or 7 lbs!) each.
There was so much to see and learn here. The girls were really impressed with a life-size model of the heart of a blue whale, the largest creature on Earth. You can crawl inside it … and it’s about the size of a small car. I really liked the cultural artifacts and the tooth/baleen displays. And the vocalization and sonar info. And the movie about how they hunt squid. As I said, lots to see!
After Whales Tohora we poked around a few other exhibits before we called it a day. It was a great way to spend a snowy afternoon and I really recommend paying a visit.
What about you? Have you seen Whales Tohora yet? Planning to go?
