Endangered whale jawbone in teacher's backyard
January 2nd, 2011
01:49 PM ET

Endangered whale jawbone in teacher's backyard

The jawbone of an endangered blue whale is now in the backyard of a home in Northern California, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The whale, which was pregnant, had apparently died after colliding with a ship. It washed ashore off the San Mateo County coast in October, as seen in the photo above. Elementary-school teacher Dan Sudran, known for his hands-on approach to getting kids excited about science, told the newspaper that he wanted the bone to go to Pescadero Elementary School, where he works. Here was an 80-foot blue whale on shore, a rare event. The last whale of its kind washed up in 1979. Sudran quickly got to work and obtained the necessary permits to transport the whale's jaw bone - which measures 20 feet -  to his backyard.

It will be on display at the school. A curriculum is being designed around it that will provide lessons in reading, science and ocean life, the paper reports. The whale's remaining bones are going to other institutions.

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Filed under: California • Science
soundoff (65 Responses)
  1. Christopher Dycha

    What happened to the ship? They had to have a bit of "turbulence". Christopher Dycha

    January 2, 2011 at 7:56 pm | Report abuse |
  2. MissAnthrope

    Let me guess: you're a bitter toad who likes to take out his frustrations out on other people by belittling them, thereby making himself seem a little smarter than the average toadstool. Got it in one!

    January 2, 2011 at 8:00 pm | Report abuse |
  3. RUFFNUTT

    i heard the boat that is suspected of hitting the whale was on a three-hour cruise but hasn't been seen since.

    January 2, 2011 at 8:45 pm | Report abuse |
  4. whew

    one man on land man handled him?

    January 2, 2011 at 8:51 pm | Report abuse |
  5. banasy

    @Gilligan:
    Hey, little buddy!

    January 2, 2011 at 9:05 pm | Report abuse |
  6. rock

    @timetraveler it was a joke.

    January 2, 2011 at 9:29 pm | Report abuse |
  7. RUFFNUTT

    i wonder if you got the whole whale skeleton if you could use it as a frame for a house? i could turn it into a garage for my camaro..

    i'd put hydraulics on the jawbone and use it as a garage door.

    January 2, 2011 at 11:52 pm | Report abuse |
  8. j rob

    how can a 7-9 team host a 12-4 team in the playoffs mean while a team that went 10-6 doest even make the playoffs? Crazy stuff...

    January 3, 2011 at 1:13 am | Report abuse |
  9. vhc

    You're all more off than the smell of a rotting whale. How is it possible to take such a simple and well explained article and, from it generate so many nonsensical comments.
    People should find better things to do with their Internet accessibilities.

    January 3, 2011 at 8:11 am | Report abuse |
  10. thewhalepeople.com

    Wasn't it Sampson who defeated an army with the jawbone of an ass? Think what he could've done with this!
    Seriously, it's cool for the teacher to get this done. There are many kids out there that have no clue about these creatures except for what they see in books. Bravo!

    January 3, 2011 at 4:03 pm | Report abuse |
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