Spyhop with the new Suzuki 140 hp 4 stroke motor. Photo by Ambika Menon

Keith Rittmaster, Natural Science Curator at the NC Maritime Museum, extends industrial strength gratitude to the following donors who conspired to fund a new outboard motor for the Friends of the Museum boat “Spyhop”. Keith uses the boat to benefit NC students, citizens, and marine wildlife in all aspects of his work that includes responding to marine mammal strandings and entanglements, maintaining monofilament fishing line receptacles, research and educational field trips, and continuing the local long-term (since 1985) bottlenose dolphin photo-identification project. Thank you!!

Gervais Whale Skeleton (Mesoplodon europaeus)

Gervais Beaked whale, currently on display at Duke marine lab until November 2017

The Gervais is the most frequently stranded beaked whale in North Carolina. This skeleton was re-articulated from a whale which stranded on July 18, 2012 on the ocean beach of Salvo, NC. It was a 356 cm long, 445 kg sub-adult male. After the necropsy and pectoral fin radiographs, the bones were labeled, wrapped in nylon netting, and macerated in water with horse feces for nine warm months. The Gervais whale skeleton is now on display in the Repass Ocean Conservation Center at Duke marine lab in Beaufort. Watch a video of hanging the whale skeleton.

Around 340 man hours were dedicated to this project. We would like to thank everyone who helped with reporting, recovery, moving carcass, consultation, necropsy, related research, radiographs, bone weighing, bone preparation, note taking, carpentry, photography, volunteer/staff provisioning, music, and funding.

The team of Nan Bowles, Josh Summers, and Keith Rittmaster recently put the final touches on a Gervais’ beaked whale skeleton and presented it at the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Marine Mammal Symposium.

In November 2017 it is scheduled to go on display at Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head. As far as we know, this is the only skeletal display of this species in the world!

Thank you 2016 donors, volunteers, contributors, and collaborators!
Listed below are individuals/groups whose generosity helped sustain and improve the Cape Lookout Studies Program in 2016 by providing printer ink, photo paper, office supplies, sandpaper, boat fuel, belt sander, cleaning supplies, food, batteries, Sirius/XM radio subscription, book writing, book editing, book publishing, book sales, food, drinks, Ryobi cordless combo power tool set, AC/DC cooler/warmer, computer maintenance, notebooks, artwork , attorney fees, shovel, celebrations, web hosting fees, web site maintenance, fencing, lumber, hardware cloth, lodging in DC, bench grinder, monofilament bin maintenance, Spyhop maintenance, dolphin license plate promotion, $45,581 in cash donations/grants, and approximately 1,090 hours of volunteer time. THANK YOU!!
Sincere thanks also go out to everyone who has an NC “Protect Wild Dolphins” special license plate which raised through Friends of the Museum a total of $10,360 in 2016. The dolphins thank you too.

Congratulations and thanks to Vicky Thayer, the 2016 recipient of the CLSP Outstanding Volunteer award.

Click here to visit our Thank You page – dedicated to the supporters, volunteers, backers and collaborators of the Cape Lookout Studies Program.