Thursday, December 24, 2009

Early christmas gift




On Sunday Mark, one of the people that Nick works with brought us over an early Christmas gift. It's a piece of baleen from the whale. If you remember, Cape Dorset had the honour of winning a bowhead whale license in September and were successful in the hunt. It was a huge coup for the town. Check out the story and pictures here.

Anyway, for those who don't know, the baleen hangs down over the bowhead's mouth as it doesn't have any teeth. It filters the water as he swims and catches the little fish and organisms so it can eat. The baleen is also what they used to use in corsets. I'm sure you've heard of whalebone. It's not actually bone though, it's keratin.

It's a nice addition to my northern souvenir collection. Once the tree is gone I'll be hanging it on the wall. Thanks Mark.