Skeleton Cleaning Project

Porpoises, dolphins and whales are highly specialised mammals, being fully adapted to life in the sea. These adaptations are reflected in their bones. Since most students have never seen a living porpoise, teachers need special tools to help students understand and visualise life at sea. Bones can provide an important window into this world.

HWDT currently uses bones in the classroom as an educational resource during our workshops in both Primary and High Schools. We have designed activities which have been very well received by students and teachers and wish to expand the range of what we can deliver by having a greater variety of bones available.

Help us to prepare bones of a harbour porpoise, see above, and dolphins for use in our education programmes.  A harbour porpoise skeleton was washed up on the beach near Duart Castle, Craignure, Isle of Mull and collected by HWDT.

We have also collected skulls and some bones from two bottlenose dolphins, of which only 40 or 50 live on the west coast of Scotland. One of the dolphins had broken vertebrae that had fully healed, evidence of a previous injury. We also have bones from a rarely-seen Cuvier’s beaked whale, normally found in very deep waters well offshore. Find out more by completing this project!

The bones are in need of final cleaning and bleacjinh before they can be used in our education work.

We also need the skeleton of a common dolphin, see right, to be catalogued and storage designed for travel so it can be taken to remote schools without damage.

 The aim of the project is to prepare the skeleton for use within the discovery centre and as a valuable resource for the education team. We plan to take the skeleton to schools and use it as an educational tool to teach about cetaceans.

APPLY NOW!!  We expect the project to take a few weeks work and will consider applicants who can offer part or all of this time.  The project is available now.

We will try to meet your needs, however please click here and refer to the accommodation and travle pages on our website before applying.  If you can't find the information on the website you are looking for please contact the volunteer coordinator.  To apply, simply fill out the online application form.

 

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