Diving killer whale
Vancouver, B.C.
The skeleton of this northern resident (salmon-eating) orca, A57, was found in Frolander Bay, B.C. in 1996. A57 was a fully mature female who was born with a jaw deformity and elongation causing misalignment and wearing of her teeth which eventually led to a tooth infection and eventual mortality. It has been speculated that, as first-born calf, a high load of environmental toxins in her mother's milk may have been the cause of her untimely death.
A57 has been captured in a powerful tail-thrust as she dives aggressively with open jaws toward her prey. Minor damage to the skeleton has been repaired, with the exception of the substantial wearing of her teeth shown in her replicated set. She is suspended by thin stainless cables with an entirely internal steel armature, hidden by bone and artistically represented cartilage. A57 is displayed within UBC's Marine Mammal Skeleton Project collection.
Skeletons > Orca
