We begin with the head, then the lower jaw bones. From there we head downward, placing each vertebrae one after another, decreasing in size and increasing in number. On the floor of the Family Activity Center, we move efficiently on the floor as people mill about. On this lower level of the aquarium, guests can see the underside of the sea otter and northern fur seal exhibits. when guests flow out of the underwater dome the flippers of the seals catch their eyes, drawing them to the window. On the wall adjacent to the mammals are an arrangement of buttons and screens set up to play orca clicks and sounds. As we work, young children wander over and pick up the softball sized bone casts.

“Do you wanna help?” I ask sweetly. “Let’s put that right here.” I say as I reach over and guide the little boy’s hand to where the 22nd vertebrae should be.

As our little project grows we attract some more helpers and their relieved parents can sit down and take a break. The air on the lower level is cooler than outside and the room is quieter than any of the other exhibits. We leave out the flipper bones because they’re small and easy to lose. Once we’re done we have a juvenile orca, more than three times the size as some of the children laid out in the family activity center. The spine and jaw lined up perfectly with the orca silhouette embedded in the carpet. 

 

This short story is just one example of how volunteers and staff at the Seattle aquarium can teach younger audiences about the southern resident orcas. Building a juvenile orca really puts into perspective how large these animals would be up close. While working with children, you can’t get into insanely deep concepts about conservation because they wouldn’t understand, but they’re a lot smarter than a lot of people give them credit for. When you tell a kid that the orcas don’t have enough salmon to eat, they’ll say something like, “let’s give them more salmon” or “that’s not good” which is adorable, especially when they’re so genuinely concerned. The children put smiles on our faces and, hopefully, they leave the aquarium knowing a little more about their neighbors in the ocean.

The sound feature briefly mentioned in  the story is another interactive piece that help people understand that orcas have their own language and dialects. These sounds get disrupted by boat traffic and drilling, affecting their primary form of communication and necessary hunting tool.

For older children and adults, the orca bones can be used to explain how they direct echolocation from their heads and receive through their lower jaw bones.