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The Ongoing Mystery of KOBO: A Blue Whale Skeleton Leaking Oil
When you step into the New Bedford Whaling Museum located in southeastern Massachusetts, exercise caution while standing beneath the impressive 66-foot-long skeleton of a blue whale. This remarkable specimen continues to leak oil, even though it has been deceased for over twenty years.
Affectionately referred to as King of the Blue Ocean (KOBO), this unique blue whale skeleton has graced the museum since 2000. The ongoing oil leakage is attributed to its bone marrow, which is significantly more oily than that found in human bones.
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According to Robert Rocha, Associate Curator of Science and Research at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, “The marrow contains oil that serves as an energy reserve for these creatures. This is particularly crucial for baleen whales during periods when they do not feed.” He elaborates that while energy can be found in their muscles and blubber, the oil stored within their bones acts as a vital backup energy source.
Typically, the oil within whale skeletons dissipates naturally when buried on ocean floors and consumed by barnacles and other marine life. However, KOBO was discovered on the bow of a ship. Despite being among Earth’s largest animals, blue whales are vulnerable to massive tankers and unintentional collisions with vessels.
“KOBO was likely around five years old at its time of death and weighed approximately 80,000 pounds,” Rocha explains. “It met its end after being struck by a 486-foot freighter traveling from Belgium to Providence, Rhode Island in 1998.”
Afterward, scientists transported the carcass ashore for dissection aimed at research purposes. The recovery team did not prioritize extracting oil from its bones through sun exposure or treatment methods.
In an effort initiated in 2010, museum staff installed an innovative oil catcher to monitor how much oil could be collected from KOBO’s remains. Positioned near its rostrum—close to where its snout meets vertebrae—the device captures daily drips of oil into a flask; currently holding about 1 liter stored away along with another 200 milliliters still being collected.
“We missed out on capturing about ten years’ worth of dripping,” Rocha notes with some regret. “Those initial years were undoubtedly messier.”
Local radio personality Chris Arsenault shared his experience visiting the museum with CBS affiliate WPRI stating he got splattered by some leaking oil roughly ten years ago but harbors no resentment towards KOBO—calling it quite “lucky.”
< p clas s = ' article - paragraph -skip '>“I felt something wet trickling down my neck only later realizing there was brownish staining ruining my white-collared shirt,” Arsenault reminisced . “That shirt had to go!”
< p clas s = ' article - paragraph -skip '>Historically speaking , oils extracted from such specimens were not utilized for lighting lamps during whaling’s peak era in the nineteenth century . It wasn’t until shoreside processing facilities emerged alongside factory ships that whalers—and eventually soldiers during World War I—could harness oils contained within these massive creatures’ remains .
< p clas s = ' article - paragraph -skip '>Rocha explains further , “British forces dominated whale-oil markets throughout World War I,” noting they used it topically on feet against trench foot while pilots allegedly applied it onto skin surfaces shielding against harsh winds or sunlight.”
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< P CLASS =" ARTICLE-PARAGRAPH SKIP "> Additionally , this valuable resource found applications beyond personal care ; one notable derivative glycerol became integral within explosive manufacturing processes whereby mixing nitric acid alongside sulfuric acid yielded explosive nitroglycerin utilized extensively across both world wars.< / P >
Interestingly enough though chemistry dictates only baleen whale-derived oils suffice due their unique properties whereas toothed species yield waxy esters unsuitable thus relegating them primarily towards lubrication purposes instead.< / P >
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