Measuring the Whale’s Skeleton

In the first place, I wish to lay before you a particular, plain statement, touching the living bulk of this leviathan, whose skeleton we are briefly to exhibit. Such a statement may prove useful here.

First, I want to give you a clear, detailed account of the size of this leviathan when it was alive. We will briefly examine its skeleton. Such an account may be useful here.

According to a careful calculation I have made, and which I partly base upon Captain Scoresby’s estimate, of seventy tons for the largest sized Greenland whale of sixty feet in length; according to my careful calculation, I say, a Sperm Whale of the largest magnitude, between eighty-five and ninety feet in length, and something less than forty feet in its fullest circumference, such a whale will weigh at least ninety tons; so that, reckoning thirteen men to a ton, he would considerably outweigh the combined population of a whole village of one thousand one hundred inhabitants.

I have made a careful calculation, based partly on Captain Scoresby’s estimate. He reckoned that the largest Greenland whale, sixty feet long, weighed seventy tons. By my calculation, a Sperm Whale of the largest size would weigh at least ninety tons. Such a whale would be between eighty-five and ninety feet long and just under forty feet around at its widest point. At thirteen men to a ton, the whale would considerably outweigh all the people in a village of 1,100 inhabitants.

Think you not then that brains, like yoked cattle, should be put to this leviathan, to make him at all budge to any landsman’s imagination?

Don't you think, then, that minds must be yoked like cattle to this leviathan to budge him even a little into a landsman's imagination?

Having already in various ways put before you his skull, spout-hole, jaw, teeth, tail, forehead, fins, and divers other parts, I shall now simply point out what is most interesting in the general bulk of his unobstructed bones. But as the colossal skull embraces so very large a proportion of the entire extent of the skeleton; as it is by far the most complicated part; and as nothing is to be repeated concerning it in this chapter, you must not fail to carry it in your mind, or under your arm, as we proceed, otherwise you will not gain a complete notion of the general structure we are about to view.

I have already shown you his skull, blowhole, jaw, teeth, tail, forehead, fins, and various other parts. Now I will simply point out what is most interesting about the skeleton as a whole, with its bones exposed. But the colossal skull makes up a very large part of the entire skeleton, and it is by far the most complicated part. Since I will say nothing more about the skull in this chapter, you must keep it in mind, or under your arm, as we proceed. Otherwise, you will not gain a complete idea of the overall structure we are about to examine.

In length, the Sperm Whale’s skeleton at Tranque measured seventy-two feet; so that when fully invested and extended in life, he must have been ninety feet long; for in the whale, the skeleton loses about one fifth in length compared with the living body. Of this seventy-two feet, his skull and jaw comprised some twenty feet, leaving some fifty feet of plain back-bone. Attached to this back-bone, for something less than a third of its length, was the mighty circular basket of ribs which once enclosed his vitals.

The Sperm Whale’s skeleton at Tranque measured seventy-two feet long. So, fully fleshed out and stretched to his full length in life, he must have been ninety feet long. A whale’s skeleton is about one fifth shorter than its living body. Of those seventy-two feet, his skull and jaw made up about twenty feet, leaving some fifty feet of backbone alone. Attached to the backbone was the mighty circular basket of ribs that once enclosed his vital organs. It ran for slightly less than a third of the backbone’s length.

To me this vast ivory-ribbed chest, with the long, unrelieved spine, extending far away from it in a straight line, not a little resembled the hull of a great ship new-laid upon the stocks, when only some twenty of her naked bow-ribs are inserted, and the keel is otherwise, for the time, but a long, disconnected timber.

To me, this vast, ivory-ribbed chest looked much like the hull of a great ship just begun on the building stocks. Its long, unbroken spine extended far from the chest in a straight line. The ship, too, would have only about twenty bare ribs in place at the bow. For the time being, the rest of its keel would be just a long, disconnected timber.

The ribs were ten on a side. The first, to begin from the neck, was nearly six feet long; the second, third, and fourth were each successively longer, till you came to the climax of the fifth, or one of the middle ribs, which measured eight feet and some inches. From that part, the remaining ribs diminished, till the tenth and last only spanned five feet and some inches. In general thickness, they all bore a seemly correspondence to their length. The middle ribs were the most arched. In some of the Arsacides they are used for beams whereon to lay footpath bridges over small streams.

There were ten ribs on each side. Starting at the neck, the first was nearly six feet long. The second, third, and fourth were each longer than the one before. The fifth, one of the middle ribs, was the longest, measuring eight feet and a few inches. Beyond that, the ribs grew shorter, until the tenth and last spanned only five feet and a few inches. All the ribs were proportionate in thickness to their length. The middle ribs were the most curved. In some of the Arsacides, the ribs are used as beams to support footbridges over small streams.

In considering these ribs, I could not but be struck anew with the circumstance, so variously repeated in this book, that the skeleton of the whale is by no means the mould of his invested form. The largest of the Tranque ribs, one of the middle ones, occupied that part of the fish which, in life, is greatest in depth. Now, the greatest depth of the invested body of this particular whale must have been at least sixteen feet; whereas, the corresponding rib measured but little more than eight feet. So that this rib only conveyed half of the true notion of the living magnitude of that part. Besides, for some way, where I now saw but a naked spine, all that had been once wrapped round with tons of added bulk in flesh, muscle, blood, and bowels. Still more, for the ample fins, I here saw but a few disordered joints; and in place of the weighty and majestic, but boneless flukes, an utter blank!

Looking at these ribs, I was struck again by a fact repeated in many ways throughout this book. A whale’s skeleton is by no means the shape of its body when covered in flesh. The largest of the Tranque ribs, one of the middle ones, came from the deepest part of the living whale. At that point, this particular whale’s body must have been at least sixteen feet deep. Yet the corresponding rib measured only a little more than eight feet. So the rib conveyed only half the true size of that part of the living whale. Besides, for some distance, I now saw only a bare spine. Once, all of it had been wrapped in tons of added bulk: flesh, muscle, blood, and bowels. And for the ample fins, I saw only a few scattered joints. In place of the heavy, majestic, but boneless flukes, there was nothing at all!

How vain and foolish, then, thought I, for timid untravelled man to try to comprehend aright this wondrous whale, by merely poring over his dead attenuated skeleton, stretched in this peaceful wood. No. Only in the heart of quickest perils; only when within the eddyings of his angry flukes; only on the profound unbounded sea, can the fully invested whale be truly and livingly found out.

How pointless and foolish, I thought, for a timid man who has never traveled to try to understand this wondrous whale. He cannot understand it just by studying its dead, slender skeleton, stretched out in this peaceful wood. No. The whale in all its fullness can only be truly understood alive in the midst of immediate danger. Only in the swirling waters around its angry tail, on the deep, boundless sea, can it be understood.

But the spine. For that, the best way we can consider it is, with a crane, to pile its bones high up on end. No speedy enterprise. But now it’s done, it looks much like Pompey’s Pillar.

But what about the spine? The best way to examine it is to use a crane to stack its bones upright. That is no quick task. But now that it’s done, the stack looks much like Pompey’s Pillar.

There are forty and odd vertebræ in all, which in the skeleton are not locked together. They mostly lie like the great knobbed blocks on a Gothic spire, forming solid courses of heavy masonry. The largest, a middle one, is in width something less than three feet, and in depth more than four. The smallest, where the spine tapers away into the tail, is only two inches in width, and looks something like a white billiard-ball. I was told that there were still smaller ones, but they had been lost by some little cannibal urchins, the priest’s children, who had stolen them to play marbles with. Thus we see how that the spine of even the hugest of living things tapers off at last into simple child’s play.

There are more than forty vertebrae in all, and they are not locked together in the skeleton. Most lie like the large knobbed blocks of a Gothic spire, forming solid layers of heavy masonry. The largest vertebra, near the middle of the spine, is just under three feet wide and over four feet deep. The smallest, where the spine tapers into the tail, is only two inches wide. It looks something like a white billiard ball. I was told there were even smaller ones, but they had been lost by some little cannibal children. These were the priest’s children, who had stolen the vertebrae to play marbles with. So we see that even the spine of the largest living creature tapers off into simple child’s play.