The Museum's 72-foot long skeleton is not simply a symbol of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, but a rare specimen which presents an opportunity for children and adults to gain firsthand exposure to the world's largest animal. The Museum's Blue Whale skeleton was extracted from a juvenile male which washed ashore near Honda Point, Vandenberg Air Force Base in August 1980. The process of removing the bones from the beach and bringing them back to the Museum for preparation took over six weeks. Upon arrival, Museum scientist Dr. Charles Woodhouse (a founding member of the California Marine Mammal Stranding Network), along with hundreds of volunteers, worked for nearly three years to clean the bones and assemble the skeleton to make it the iconic image of the Museum that it is today.
The Hind Foundation has provided a grant for $25,000 to help in the restoration of the skeleton to ensure the viability of the Blue Whale as an ongoing exhibit and educational tool at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.