One of the nice things about volunteering as a whaler (a naturalist on the Hornblower whale watching cruises out of San Diego) for the San Diego Natural History Museum, is that you can pop in to the museum at any time to check out a few items that go on display. You are also given the odd notice that a whale penis is going to be exhibited, so get on over there and see it, because their original owners don’t really display that for us in the wild too often! You haven’t fully experienced life as a whale geek until you have asked a docent at the museum if they know where to find the whale penis.
I thought maybe some other people would be interested in these curiosities so I took some pictures and video and thought I would post them here. The most inconspicuously displayed piece in the collection was the penis, hung over a cabinet of preserved reptiles that were sure to catch your attention making it easy to ignore the 8 foot (or so) penis hanging above. It was not labelled as to what kind of whale, my husband quickly quipped “sperm whale” when someone pondered out loud about it. 
A little research on whale penises was in order if I were to actually post this provocative picture. So, blue whales have the largest penis of any known living animal. It can measure anywhere from 8 to 10 feet long and is hidden in a genital slit for a more streamlined silhouette for swimming and also to protect the reproductive organs. Matthew Dean from The University of Southern California has done some study on whale penises and pelvic bones. “The penis of a whale or a dolphin is very dextrous,” says Dean. “It has a mind of its own.” Specifically, it’s controlled by two strong muscles that pull with differing tension to let the organ change shape. “I think of it like a trick kite, controlled by two strings and capable of complex motion. That’s a whale’s penis to me.”
I thought that deserved a closer look.
Another interesting piece that was on exhibit was a narwahl tusk. This is something that I really did not want to discover was so beautiful. The idea that a single thing so desirable exists on a unicorn like animal makes me fear for the whales, but it does deserve to be seen.
As with most things in nature, that which is exquisite in form is often exquisite in function. Many things have been theorized about this up to 9 foot left canine tooth. A weapon, sexual dimorphism, a literal ice breaker?
It ends up that they have adapted one of the most sensitive echolocation systems in existence. Like dolphins and other whales they produce clicks and use the sound waves bouncing off their surroundings to form a view of their environment. But the tooth doesn’t have the protection of hard, external enamel and that makes it sensitive to stimuli, giving them an advantage over all other echolocating species.
Scientists suspect that the tooth plays a role in echolocation by allowing seawater to enter it through pores in its tip. Bubbles then travel through the shaft and excite nerve endings at the base of the tooth near the head, sending signals to the brain about the narwhal’s surroundings.
The tooth is also used in dominance fighting amongst each other, as evidenced by marks on the tusks themselves.
They have also filmed the first proof that they use the tusk to find and stun their prey while hunting. Here’s the first drone video of that phenomenon.
So, let’s keep these beautiful appendages on these amazing beasts!
And the final specimen I wanted to share is this spectacular lower jaw of a sperm whale.
And I just pulled a Wikipedia blurb on the jaw for you, because I couldn’t find anything too spectacular about it, beyond it’s sheer existence.
The sperm whale’s lower jaw is very narrow and underslung.[48] The sperm whale has 18 to 26 teeth on each side of its lower jaw which fit into sockets in the upper jaw.[48] The teeth are cone-shaped and weigh up to 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) each.[49] The teeth are functional, but do not appear to be necessary for capturing or eating squid, as well-fed animals have been found without teeth or even with deformed jaws. One hypothesis is that the teeth are used in aggression between males.[50] Mature males often show scars which seem to be caused by the teeth. Rudimentary teeth are also present in the upper jaw, but these rarely emerge into the mouth.[51] Analyzing the teeth is the preferred method for determining a whale’s age. Like the age-rings in a tree, the teeth build distinct layers of cementum and dentine as they grow.
So that is what real whale geeks do when they go to Balboa Park for the December Nights holiday light event that draws approximately 350,000 people to the park. We take pictures of whale junk. Literally.