The Blue Whale Story at the Saint Louis Science Center
Date: Saturday, May 23
Time: 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Cost:
Members: $8
Adults (ages 13–59): $16
Seniors (ages 60+): $14
Children (ages 5–12): $12
Children 4 and under: Free (A ticket is still required and available at the Box Office.)
Location: Main Building, Floor 1
Parking: Regular price at the Oakland Lot. Parking at the McDonnell Planetarium is FREE.
Come face-to-face with Earth’s largest creature through The Blue Whale Story!
The Blue Whale Story is more than just a special exhibition. It’s rooted in real science and the tragic loss of nine endangered North Atlantic blue whales that became trapped in sea ice off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, in 2014.
Although their passing represented a significant loss for an already vulnerable population, two of these whales were recovered and studied, giving scientists from the Royal Ontario Museum the rare opportunity to examine the blue whale like never before.
The exhibition invites families to discover the wonder of the blue whale while highlighting why protecting these gentle giants is essential to keeping our oceans healthy for future generations.
guests will have the chance to:
Meet “Blue”—a life-sized, female blue whale skeleton recovered from the sea ice tragedy, measuring 80-feet long, as wide as the Omnimax Theater dome!
View the only full-scale blue whale heart model in the world and compare it to the hearts of other common creatures.
Take a photo inside a full-scale model of a blue whale jaw, while learning about their remarkable feeding behavior.
Explore the Whale Sound Chamber to hear surround-sound whale calls, compare different whale songs and learn what they may be communicating.
Play “License to Krill,” an exciting game of survival, where participants dodge dangerous obstacles and “dive deep” to capture and eat krill (the predominant part of the blue whale diet).
Observe the visual progression of how whales evolved from a four-legged, wolf-like mammal (Pakicetus) that lived on land 50 million years ago to the modern-day ocean giant.
Discover how blue whales faced a devastating decline through commercial whaling in the 19th and 20th centuries but are recovering slowly through science and preservation efforts