Museum staff collects whale remains from Delaware beach

PICKERING BEACH, Del. – The skull of a once 20-ton (18,140-kilogram) juvenile humpback whale has been collected from the Delaware beach where the carcass was left to rot, and is destined for exhibition.

News outlets report Delaware Museum of Natural history staff collected portions of the whale’s skeleton Friday, more than a year after the carcass was spotted and transported to decompose at Pickering Beach, where odours would pose less of a public problem.

Museum spokeswoman Jennifer Acord says curators had to get a permit from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to collect the remains for educational use.

It’ll be several years until visitors can see the skeletal remains. Until then, they’ll be housed separately to allow oil to ooze out and ensure living organisms inside don’t contaminate the rest of the collection.