The selective representation of EgNo 3694’s bones is meant to add a new dimension to the whale gallery. EgNo 3694’s jawbones create a dramatic passthrough arch at the entrance to the exhibit. Additionally, an up-close look at her flipper bones, articulated by Whales and Nails and installed by museum staff, readily shows important shared characteristics between two species within the Mammalia class— whales and humans.

That whale, known by scientists as EgNo 3694, died off Boothbay Harbor in 2016, most likely from entanglement. Weighing about 50 tons and 43 feet long, EgNo 3694 was an 11-year-old female. Marine Mammals of Maine mobilized the recovery of her body and, working with NOAA and the Coast Guard, had the whale towed to Portland harbor and then trucked to a nearby composting facility.

The Maine State Museum, following permitting processes from NOAA, was able to retain important bones from EgNo 3694, specifically a flipper and two 12-foot-long jawbones. All will be featured in the upcoming exhibition Vector: A Whale’s Life in the Gulf of Maine.