A vertebra of a North Atlantic Right Whale. From the 17th to the 20th century, whales were hunted at sea for their valuable blubber and whale bone. The North Atlantic right whale got its name because it was the only kind that floated on the surface, and so was the right one to hunt, because it could be easily recovered. In Victorian times, blubber was rendered to make whale oil for street lamps and to light homes, and the whalebone used to provide the stiffening for ladies’ corsets.
