“Have we always had a whale?”
Sometimes I feel like a tourist in my own city. Aside from the usual places (the aquarium, Granville Island, Gastown, etc), Vancouver has many other sites to boast about. And sometimes it’s right beneath our noses (in this case, quite literally).
(Photocredit sonson on Flickr)
Canada’s largest blue whale skeleton hangs dramatically in the Beaty Biodiversity Museum. A total of 26 meters in length and weighing in at approximately 3 tons, it’s a jaw-dropping display for a rather inconspicuous museum.
The Beaty Biodiversity Museum is a unique facility because it serves two purposes: (1) educate and inspire the public & (2) house specimens for research. However don’t expect it to look like the Museum of Natural History. The building was originally intended just for research purposes so it doesn’t have a lot of glamourous displays. Instead it has many drawers full of specimens and insightful research stories. It also boasts an unusual and confounding layout; I suggest you take the tour to get acquainted with the place, it’s history, and their collections. Check it out. It’s free for staff and students (makes for a great cheap date).
(Photocredit Alex Grrrrr on Flickr)
Also from Feb 11th to Mar 9th, the Beaty Biodiversity Museum will be having a FestEVOLVE to celebrate Darwin and the theory of evolution. It’ll be kicking off with an evolution-themed cake baking contest on Feb 10th.
