Rebecca Strauch
What kinds of things were you looking at and documenting with the Burke collections?
During my visit at the Burke Museum, I looked at both extant and fossil cetacean mandibles. My time spent in the Burke’s Vertebrate Paleontology Collection allowed me to collect data on Oligocene and Miocene whales local to the Pacific Northwest, including the type specimens of Salishicetus meadi and Wimahl chinookensis. I was specifically interested in collecting data on the degree of fusion and elongation of the mandibular symphysis – the place where the left and right mandibles unite. In toothed whales, the symphysis tends to range from sutured to completely fused. In baleen whales, however, the mandibles are completely unfused and kinetic. My research involves documenting the diversity and degree of symphyseal fusion across Cetacea. My hope is that this research will contribute to an understanding of temporal and ecological drivers of fusion in whales. More simply put, I hope my work sheds light on the question "Why do whales fuse or not fuse their jaws?"
What is something fun or unexpected that happened to you during your visit to the Burke?
A highlight of my visit was going to the Burke’s offsite location, where some of the larger whales are stored. At the offsite location, I had to stand on a ladder to snap photos of baleen and sperm whale mandibles. I'll admit - the physical and logistical difficulties of maneuvering a 7–8-foot Bryde’s whale mandible did prompt some reflection on my decision to study such large animals. I am grateful for the help and support of the Burke’s Mammalogy Collection manager Jeff Bradley, whose willingness to help move and lift whale mandibles made my work possible.
