Humpback Whale Skeleton-Maine State Museum Exhibit

These two humpback whale skeletons are currently being cleaned and prepared for exhibit by Whales and Nails, a company located in Seal Cove, Maine.

The Skill and knowledge behind Whales and Nails is Dan DenDanto. A senior scientist with Allied Whale at the College of the Atlantic, Dan has been cleaning, restoring, and articulating whale skeletons since 1990. Dan and his team are doing an amazing job of breathing new life into Vector and the calf. The 45 foot adult female and 25 foot juvenile female whales will be at the center of a permanent exhibit when the museum reopens in 2026. The exhibition will look at whale biology and evolution, the work of scientists who study whales, and the changes within the Gulf of Maine’s ecology.

*Exhibit photos are a design conception of the museum’s new whale gallery, created by the museum’s exhibit designer, Brewster Buttfield.

Watch the video below to learn more!