Program Objectives

• To promote marine mammal conservation
• To describe the natural history and evolution of cetaceans
• To educate the public about cetaceans

Whales, dolphins, and porpoises make up the cetaceans, an intriguing group of marine mammals. Because of their aquatic existence, little is known about much of their biology. Strandings, however, provide a unique opportunity to study these mysterious creatures. Animals may wash ashore dead, alive, singly or in groups. In all cases they become a valuable source of scientific data.

The Natural History Museum has been actively studying stranded cetaceans since 1960 and has assembled a research collection of marine mammals that is second in size only to that of the Smithsonian Institution. Our collection is used by museum biologists and scientists from all over the world.

What We Discover!

Through the study of large series of specimens from strandings, biologists can piece together the natural history of a species including information such as:

Knowledge gained from detailed dissectons provides insights into how cetaceans' bodies function (for example, how dolphins produce sounds) and helps us determine the evolutionary relationships among the various species. Stomach contents are examined to provide data on types and amount of prey consumed. The distribution of many species is determined from stranding locations. Since it is difficult to fully observe cetaceans at sea, photographs and measurements of stranded animals provide us with details of the size, shape, and true color pattern of particular species. Over the years, hundreds of scientific discoveries have been based on specimens housed in the museum's collection.

Some Things We Do

The Marine Mammal Program contributes significantly to our better understanding of the lives of cetaceans and their pivotal role in the marine ecosystem.

The Marine Mammal Program contributes significantly to our better understanding of the lives of cetaceans and their pivotal role in the marine ecosystem.

• We document the impact fisheries have on whales and dolphins
• We collect and examine tissue samples to determine the levels of pollutants found in stranded animals
• DNA samples from specimens in our collection aid in detecting the illegal hunting of endangered species of whales in remote parts of the world.

Each bit of knowledge we obtain is crucial in ensuring cetaceans' survival into the future.

Through continuous contact with the public, both directly and through other museum programs, the Marine Mammal Program provides a tremendous educational service to the people of the greater Los Angeles region and beyond. Masters of the Ocean Realm, the museum's family-oriented traveling exhibit on cetaceans, is based on the specimens and knowledge gleaned from our research program. This exhibit is traveling to a dozen museums in North America over a 5-year period, and more than 1 million visitors are expected to be influenced by its informative displays.

Stranded marine mammals, come under the jurisdiction of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972) and thus can only be handled by authorized persons. Anyone who finds a dead cetacean on the beach in Los Angeles and Orange Counties should contact the Natural History Museum's Stranding Hotline at (323) 585-5105, or the curator of marine mammals, Dr. John Heyning at (323) 763-3367.