Hokkaido University Museum is pleased to announce the 4th Saturday Citizen Seminar of 2026, titled "Do You Know About the Sapporo Whale, Now a New Species?"

This time, we are pleased to have Mr. Yoshihiro Tanaka, Curator at the Sapporo Museum Activity Center and Researcher at the Hokkaido University Museum's Materials Department, as our speaker.

"Are you familiar with the Sapporo whale, which has been reclassified as a new species?"

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This article provides a simple explanation of the "Sapporo Whale (scientific name: Megabellina sapporoensis)," discovered in Minami Ward, Sapporo City, and announced as a new species in 2025. This fossil, found in a geological layer dating back approximately 9 million years, is a primitive type of right whale, and its remarkably well-preserved state, with almost the entire body intact, is astonishing.

At the ongoing special exhibition, "Dinosaurs of Hokkaido University," you can see the gigantic skull up close. If you look closely at the skull, you can see the eyes and ear holes... The rock-like fossil will start to feel as if it's alive, and you might enjoy the special exhibition 10 times more. Please come and see the miraculous Sapporo Whale, a source of pride for Sapporo to the world.

Date: Saturday, July 11, 2026, 13:30-15:00

Location: "Exchange of Knowledge" on the 1st floor Hokkaido University Museum

Number of people: 70

Admission: Free

For more details, please click here. *This will take you to the museum's website.