Albany's Historic Whaling Station > Records

PAINTING - FALSE KILLER WHALE

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Richard Ellis

c. 1975

Subcollections

Overview

Painting of dark grey/black whale with a rounded, conical head with no beak, and sickle-shaped dorsal fin and flipper, gouache on blue card, framed and mounted with inscription (33.)

Historical information

Collection of 106 of paintings by Richard Ellis that were selected by the Smithsonian Institution to form a traveling exhibit of the marine mammals of the world. The collection was purchased by Perth businessman Kevin Parry in 1985 and donated to Whale World, now known as Albany's Historic Whaling Station.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-128-RE1999.349

Item type

Material

Width

410 mm

Height or length

440 mm

Depth

15 mm

Weight

1.52 kg

Inscriptions and markings

FALSE KILLER WHALE (Pseudorca crassidens)

One of the largest of the dolphins, the false killer can reach a length of 18 feet, and is easily recognized by its all-black coloration, beakless profile and strangely "humped" pectoral fins. A tropical and temperate water species, the false killer is probably best know for its occasional habit of stranding in large numbers. In 1946, an incredible 835 false killers stranded at Mar del Plata, Argentina- the largest recorded stranding for any cetacean. From other recorded strandings, it can be assumed that this species is fairly common, but even methodical examination of the beached animals has failed to reveal the reason for these happenings. The animal gets its name from the similarity of the skull and teeth to those or the killer whale.
33.

Verso: Smithsonian label checklist # 33 Packing case # 3, AWHS accession number

Contextual information

The paintings represent a body of work by well-known American marine conservationist, author, artist and natural historian Richard Ellis (1938-2024).

Keywords

Richard Ellis

Albany's Historic Whaling Station

Smithsonian Institution

Marine Mammals

Place made

United States

Year

c. 1975