• Winter light on the Fairweather Range

    Glacier Bay

    National Park & Preserve Alaska

Whale 68 Articulation Project

The Return of "Snow"

 
The flukes of Whale #68 taken two weeks before her death.
A fluke photo from the final sighting of Snow, or Whale 68, on June 26, 2001. Snow was struck and killed by a ship two weeks later.
 

Future visitors to Bartlett Cove will be provided a chance to get up close and personal with an impressive full-sized humpback whale skeleton. When completed, this will be the second largest rearticulated humpback whale skeleton on display in the world!

 
Park staff and volunteers working hard to preserve whale 68's remains.
Park employees and volunteers moving the massive skull of Whale #68.
NPS
 

In July 2001, a 46-foot adult female humpback whale was found dead at the mouth of Glacier Bay after having been struck by a cruise ship. Known as Whale #68, or "Snow," this humpback was a regular visitor to Glacier Bay and was observed regularly since 1975.

The entire skeleton was collected, and over the intervening years many volunteers from the community, including high school and college students, have worked alongside Glacier Bay staff to retrieve, clean, and preserve the whale bones.

 

Stay tuned and follow along as years of work and planning pay off and this spectacular display becomes a reality.

Learn more about Whale 68:

 
Kelly and Melissa are Glacier Bay's Whale Education Team!

Follow our Blog!

The Return of Whale #68 BLOG
Follow the blog and share our excitement for this huge project!

  • The Legacy of Whale 68 The Legacy of Whale 68

    The story of Whale 68. Her life, death, and future return to Bartlett Cove as a magnificent display. Read More

  • Whale 68 Blog Whale 68 Blog

    Follow along with this exciting project! Read More

  • A Whale of a Display! A Whale of a Display!

    Check out the latest update on the future display of Whale #68 Read More

  • Whale Research & Monitoring Program Whale Research & Monitoring Program

    Glacier Bay's humpbacks have been studied for over 25 years! Read More

Did You Know?

Map of the National Park areas in Alaska

There are 17 national park areas in Alaska and it is home to two-thirds of the land in the entire national park system.  The National Park Service manages 39 million acres in Alaska.