Charlotte,
the Vermont WhaleCharlotte,
the Vermont Whale
The whale skeleton was originally unearthed near Charlotte,
Vermont in 1849 by railroad workers during construction of
the first railroad between Rutland and Burlington. Thinking
the bones to be those of an old horse, the workmen continued
to excavate, destroying parts of the skull. While walking near the construction site, Charlotte resident John G. Thorp observed the bone fragments in the dirt. Finding the bones to be unusual, Thorp convinced the job overseer to move the work to another segment of the project to allow for study and collection.
Naturalist Zadock Thompson of the University of Vermont was called in to study the bones. After returning to the site to collect all the bone fragments possible, Thompson declared:
Upon a careful examination of these bones, I ascertained that the greater part of the head, all of the teeth, and several vertebrae, ribs and bones of the limbs, were wanting in order to complete the skeleton.
After an examination of illustrations in Cuvier's classic
1825 comparative study on fossil bones, Thompson determined
that the bones bore a strong resemblance to Delphinus
leucas, the extant white whale. Thompson later proposed
a provisional name: Delphinus vermontanus, until the
exact relationship could be determined. (The present
designation is: Delphinapterus leucas.)
Perhaps you wonder Where the fossil was found?
