KOCHI: With exhibits ranging from a massive 14m -long skeleton of a Bryde’s whale, to colourful ornamental fishes, students who visited the open house exhibition as part of the 79th foundation day celebrations at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) were left awe struck.
The whale skeleton, kept at the newly launched Marine Megafauna Museum, was the star attraction at the exhibition.
“The whale had beached in Kozhikode in October 2023 and we had buried it on the beach after obtaining permission from the government. We excavated the area around one year after the incident and collected the skeleton. It was dried, cleaned and assembled with the help of an artist. The visitors can also hear the sounds made by marine mammals for navigation and communication,” said CMFRI marine biodiversity division senior scientist Ratheesh Ravindran.
The blue whales make high wavelength, low frequency sounds while the dolphins make high frequency low wavelength sounds.
The sounds made by dolphins are called clicks and whistles. The dolphins produce sounds like clicks for echolocation during hunting and whistles for socialising.
At the National Marine Biodiversity Museum, sunfish and oarfish attracted the visitors.
The museum houses specimens of several rare and iconic marine organisms, including giant clams, whale sharks, humphead wrasse and an array of deep-sea organisms. Various research divisions showcased interactive exhibits and offered insights into the unknown world of marine biodiversity.
A wide array of marine organisms, including sharks, rays, different fish varieties, shrimps, crabs, squids, octopus and pearl oysters were exhibited. The exhibition also featured mariculture technologies and traditional fishing gear.
An interactive workshop on career pathways in agriculture and allied science was held, where students engaged directly with CMFRI director Dr Grinson George and a panel of scientists.