With all repairs complete, Whale 68 was ready for her first photo shoot! In April, researchers from the Idaho Virtualization Lab (IVL) traveled to Dan Dendanto's Whales and Nails workshop in Seal Cove, Maine to 3D scan Whale 68's entire skeleon. Due to her large size, she had to be moved to a different facility in order to allow for easier manipulation and rotation of her bones. Every surface of each bone had to be scanned in order to create a 3D image. Dan facilitated the careful packing and transport of the skeleton for the six mile journey from his workshop to the IVL rented workspace. It took the IVL team over two weeks to transport and scan each bone. The final images will be added to The Virtual Zooarchaeology of the Arctic Project (VZAP) library as an osteological reference collection for the study of northern vertebrates. http://ivl.imnh.isu.edu/Virtual-Zooarchaeology-of-the-Arctic.htm
Whale 68 is the first humpback whale specimen to be added to IVL's "Whales of the World Project." She is only the third fully articulated whale skeleton in digital space! This dynamic natural history archive will be a tremendous tool for students and researchers to study comparative collections which are detailed, up-to-date, and comprehensive.
VZAP is funded by grants from the National Science Foundation. One of their goals is, "To democratize science, by providing free access to reference materials for researchers, educators, and students interested in the osteology of northern vertebrates. If a visit to Glacier Bay is not in the near future for you, maybe you will be able to experience Whale 68 digitally! Stay tuned!
