We had a captivating night with ACS' president and marine mammal illustrator and author, Uko Gorter, who related a fascinating story of early human awakening and understanding of gray whales. The mid-nineteenth century was an interesting time with regard to the science of whales and zoology in general. Not only did we see the groundbreaking publication by Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species (1859), and the subsequent debate on evolution, but it also represents a period in which we see a huge spike of new cetacean species being described. Even so, knowledge of whales was still in a confused state in this Victorian era, where egos often stood in their own way.
Against this backdrop, the scientific discovery and description of the living California gray whale happened while subfossil remains of an unknown whale were found on an island off the Swedish coast. It took over 70 years before a link between the two was established. This is a tale of a forgotten population, brash and overzealous naturalists, and a whale that goes by many names.
This free event is open to the public. Registration is required. A suggested donation of $10 per participant is encouraged and greatly appreciated. Donations help cover webinar costs and support our education and cetacean research grant programs.
ABOUT UKO GORTER
Uko Gorter was born in Arnhem, Holland. After ending a seventeen-year career as a professional ballet dancer in 1997, he pursued a career as a scientific illustrator. Uko specializes in marine mammals, and his work has appeared in scientific journals, museums, interpretive signs, and many books. The culmination of this work was illustrating all marine mammal species for the second edition of “Marine Mammals of the World: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Identification”, authored by Thomas Jefferson, Marc Webber, and Robert Pitman (Elsevier Press, 2015). More recently his work was featured in the "Anatomy of Dolphins; Insights into Body Structure and Function (Cozzi et al., 2017), and the Encyclopedia of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises (Erich Hoyt. 2017). He currently works on books on dolphin physiology.
Uko joined the American Cetacean Society in 2002, and is the current president of the American Cetacean Society. He is an avid historian and has amassed a large library of antiquarian books related to whales and whaling.
