The 45 foot long skeleton of a
North Atlantic Right Whale, Eubalaena glacialis, the rarest of the Atlantic great whales hangs suspended from the ceiling of Mammal Hall serving as the focal point for an extensive exhibit of mammal skeletons. One hundred years ago, when whale hunting was legal, this whale was the right whale to look for--easy to catch and kill because of its slow speed, and easily butchered, as the carcass floated conveniently on the water's surface owing to its oil-rich blubber. Not surprisingly, they were hunted almost to extinxtion

The story of its journey to the Unversity in 1898 is vivid evidence of the energy and creativity of early Museum and University leaders.

How the whale came to Iowa.