Natural History Museum's Dippy the Diplodocus to make way for Blue Whale

This article originally appeared on Culture24.

The Diplodocus of the Natural History Museum is to make way for a Blue Whale skeleton

The vast skeleton of a blue whale is to welcome visitors as the central display in the Natural History Museum’s Hintze Hall from summer 2017 as Dippy the Diplodocus moves on to pastures new.

Suspended dynamically from the ceiling and plunging through the iconic space, the whale will take on the role held by the much-loved Dippy for 35 years.

The installation of the blue whale skeleton will be part of a complete re-display of Hintze Hall being undertaken to lay bare the relationship between humans and the natural world.

While planning the whale’s move from its current home in the mammals gallery, the Museum is exploring how the Diplodocus cast can be enjoyed by an even wider audience longer term.

The Museum’s collection is one of the world’s greatest scientific resources for understanding the natural world and the This marks the beginning of a decade of transformation for the Museum described in its new strategy.

Plans include changes in how it creates and shares its scientific research and how the collection is developed and displayed for future generations so that engaging with the natural world is a part of everyone’s lives.

Sir Michael Dixon, Director of the Natural History Museum said, the blue whale, the largest known animal to have ever lived on Earth, eclipsing even the largest dinosaur, Argentinasaurus, "reminds us of the scale of our responsibility to the planet".

"This makes it the perfect choice of specimen to welcome and capture the imagination of our visitors, as well as marking a major transformation of the Museum."

“As guardians of one of the world’s greatest scientific resources, our purpose is to challenge the way people think about the natural world, and that goal has never been more urgent.

"Species and ecosystems are being destroyed faster than we can describe them or even understand their significance. The blue whale serves as a poignant reminder that while abundance is no guarantee of survival, through our choices, we can make a real difference. There is hope.”

Since the whale skeleton came to the Museum in 1891, blue whales have been hunted to near extinction before starting to recover their numbers after they gained protected status.

Whale hunting saw the abundant population of 250,000 in the late 1800s plunge to 2,300 in the late 90s. Since whales gained protected status in 1972 the population has recovered to around 10,000 to 25,000 today.

Whales were also a key case study in understanding the evolution of life on Earth, showing the gradual evolution of life from the sea to land and back again, with fully terrestrial mammals returning to fully marine lifestyles.

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Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk//science-and-nature/dinosaurs-and-fossils/art515303-natural-history-museums-dippy-the-diplodocus-to-make-way-for-blue-whale