Blue whale skeleton moves to the new Osteology Gallery at the Colombo Museum

The ‘whale’ synonymous with the Colombo Museum has now shifted to the new Osteology Gallery of the Natural History Museum, which will be open to the public from today.

This new addition to the Natural History Museum, coming under the Colombo National Museum, will also become home to nearly 30 exhibits of mammal, bird and reptile skeletons.

Parallel to the opening of the Osteology Gallery, the upgraded Geology and Plant Science Galleries of the Natural History Museum will also be open to the public.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Director, Department of National Museums, Sanuja Kasthuriarachchi says, that the addition of an Osteology Gallery is a means of benchmarking our museum with internationally renowned museums. “All world renowned museums claim an Osteology Gallery dedicated to skeletons and bony structures of animals and our new gallery is in recognition of this.” The Osteology Gallery fills the long-felt lacuna for a single gallery to which the specimens, previously exhibited at the Natural History Museum will be transferred.

The iconic blue whale of the Colombo National Museum which led a ‘solitary existence’ for a century and more in its East Wing, will now enjoy the company of the Greater flamingo, Sri Lankan monitor, Bridled tern, Green turtle, Ring-tailed civet, Sri Lankan giant squirrel, Long finned Eel and many more in a ‘habitat’ of their own. And guess what? It can engage in ‘mammoth talk’ with none other than Heiyanthuduwa Raja!

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