Natural History Museum unveils 'Dippy' the Diplodocus replacement Hope the blue whale
The hanging skeleton has taken months to prepare
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Your support makes all the difference.The Natural History Museum's revamp is complete, with the London institution's Hintze Hall now being watched over by a vast blue whale skeleton.
Though there was much fondness for the diplodocus, nicknamed Dippy, that served as the main exhibit before, it was a replica, so this new specimen is cause for much wonder and celebration.
The blue whale has been named Hope as a "symbol of humanity's power to shape a sustainable future."
Historian Tom Holland tweeted: "Obviously, I miss Diplodocus carnegiensis, but no one can deny that @NHM_London's new display is as awesome as it is moving...
"When the NHM's blue whale died in the C19th, there were 250,000 blue whales. By the 60s, there were a few hundred. Now - 20,000.
"In other words - co-ordinated international conservation measures CAN work. Why the @NHM_London blue whale is called Hope..."
The 126-year-old skeleton has been positioned in a diving pose, taking months to prepare for exhibition.
The museum is hoping the whale will help realign the NHM's image as a place of living science rather than just old fossils, with active research going on at the museum on a daily basis.
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