Blue Whale Ear 0007

3D Shaded Surface Display (SSD) reconstruction from CT scans of the ear bulla of a Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) obtained during postmortem necropsy. This adult male was discovered dead on the bow bulb of a large tanker ship. It was not known whether the collision with the ship occurred pre or postmortem. The animal was towed to Second Beach in Middletown, Rhode Island for examination. The skeleton of this whale now hangs in the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Specimen courtesy of Mystic Aquarium. (stranding data)