The whales are leaving: a dolphin skeleton and its history of collection, curation and research
Delsett, L.L. (2026). The whales are leaving: a dolphin skeleton and its history of collection, curation and research, in: Kaasa, J.S. et al. Collecting the North. Arctic Humanities, 2: pp. 273-291. https://dx.doi.org/10.1163/9789004749665_015
In: Arctic Humanities. Brill: Leiden | Boston. e-ISSN 2772-9621, more
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| Keywords |
Collections
Hunting > Whaling
Museums
Whales
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| Author keywords |
natural history museums – collections – specimen-based research |
| Abstract |
Nordic natural history collections were assembled during the nineteenth century, but are receiving renewed attention today, because their objects form part of our common heritage, and might hold clues for a sustainable future. Visitors to the museums do not see most of these objects, as they are stored in the collections. In the Norwegian museum collections in Oslo and Bergen, whales are a unique set of such objects, because of Norway’s whaling history, the evolutionary and ecological role of whales, and because they will not be collected again. After collection, some of these whales have contributed to knowledge and outreach. Whereas many specimens remain in these collections, others have left, and for many, the collection history is lost. This contribution uses one seemingly trivial dolphin specimen in the collection of the Natural History Museum in Oslo to highlight its collection history, and how it has contributed to scientific knowledge and outreach. This specimen also shows how physical objects are valuable for science, and how the story of this object still unfolds today and will continue to do so in the future |
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