An Inter-state Collaboration

In conjunction with Wright State University in Ohio, The Missouri Institute of Natural Science traveled to a site near Quitman, Mississippi to extract the fossilized remains of a 35 million-year-old whale.  The partial skeleton was that of a Basilosaur, a primitive whale that lived during the Eocene and averaged 60 feet in length.  It was found encased in solid limestone bedrock.  After extraction, the fossil was transported back to the Institute's lab.  The prep work is nearing completion, and there are plans to put the whale on display in the museum in the near future.  Click on the picture of the articulated Basilosaurus Skeleton to see more pictures of the dig.