It's 14 feet long and weighs in at 240 pounds, and is thought to have been the lower right jawbone of a fin whale. The whale's bone came to the surface in the net of Manual Moreno of Aransas Pass when he was shrimping 81 miles southeast of Galveston in 180 feet of water. Moreno contacted an acquaintance, Dr. Connie Arnold, a professor at University of Texas Marine Science Institute, when the shrimp boat came into Aransas Pass on Wednesday, Oct. 1. Rowe and Arnold said the whale bone is not too old, and they're sure it had not been in the water too long. If he was in proportion, the whale must have been 60 feet long to fit his jawbone, Rowe said.
Fin whales are the second largest of all whales.
Only the blue whale is larger. The fin whale can reach about 24 meters or 80 feet in length, and they can weigh from 30 tons up to 80 tons, Rowe said. They are found in the Western Atlantic Ocean and move south as the waters cool up north. However, they are seldom seen in the Gulf of Mexico, she said. When studies of the bone are concluded, the public will be able to view it in the visitors center.