Beach find puzzles whale experts

Published 1:30 am Friday, June 19, 2026

Nestled among the rocks and sand on Whidbey Island’s West Beach, a strange object caught a 12-year-old boy’s eye and soon had whale experts working to determine whether the curious find is a fossil, a whale bone or something else entirely.

A June 13 Facebook post by Whidbey resident Chelsea McDonald drew significant attention when she shared a photo of the object. After a quick Google search, she suspected it might be a fossilized whale ear bone.

Dalton, a Coupeville middle school student, initially mistook the object for a rock, but as he and his family researched more, his excitement was palpable.

“It had smooth parts, holes and rough edges where some of the bone has chipped off at some point,” Chelsea told the News-Times.

As interest grew online, commenters expressed excitement about the discovery while also urging the family to confirm whether it was legal to keep. Others suggested organizations and experts who could help identify the object.

Among the commenters, Susan Berta, co-founder of the Orca Network, advised that marine mammal bones cannot legally be removed from beaches without following proper procedures. She encouraged the family to bring the item to the Langley Whale Center and noted that NOAA Fisheries has a process for registering old, weathered bones found along shorelines.

Chelsea responded that she had already taken the object to the Langley Whale Center. Her family left with a gift bag containing stickers, a pocket microscope and other orca-themed materials. Chelsea added that she provided documentation related to her children’s Alaska tribal heritage, which she thought might be relevant to regulations governing possession of certain marine mammal remains.

At the same time, staff at the whale center began seeking expert opinions. Stephanie Raymond informed the family that the specimen had been secured, while photographs were sent to the organization’s stranding coordinator and veterinarian. She also planned to contact NOAA for additional guidance, she wrote in a text to Chelsea.

However, identifying the object remains a work in progress, Raymond told the News-Times.

Local taxidermist Matt Klope said he, too, believes it is a whale ear bone, though he is still unsure whether it is a fossil.

Orca Network Stranding Coordinator Garry Heinrich said he first needs to determine exactly what it is and whether it is simply bone or contains any remaining tissue or soft material. He said the item may still have liquid in it, making him question whether it really is a fossil. If the item is only bone, has no flesh attached and qualifies as a fossil, the family may have a path to legally possess it through the appropriate permitting process, he explained.

Further examination will focus on whether the object could be connected to a recently deceased whale, he said. Heinrich said the specimen is expected to be evaluated by taxidermist Matt Klope to determine whether it may be an ear bone from the whale that washed ashore on May 13 at West Beach County Park in Oak Harbor.

Until that determination is made, the object will remain in Orca Network’s care, Heinrich said.

For now, what began as a beachcombing discovery has become a local mystery.