Blog Post

World's Biggest Sperm Whale Sculpture: world record in Hartford, Connecticut

Apr 08, 2023

Hartford, Connecticut, United States--Conny The Whale in Hartford, Connecticut, the 45,000-pound, 62-foot-long replica of a giant sperm whale built by hand in West Hartford by the Cetacean Society and volunteers as a visible symbol of the organization’s “Save the Whale” effort, sets the world record for being the World's Biggest Sperm Whale Sculpture, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

"Conny meets you out front before you enter The Children’s Museum," the official website says.

"Climb inside this 60-foot long sperm whale replica and get sprayed by water from his blow hole when he spouts during the summer month.Conny, a life-sized replica of a sperm whale, has sat outside our museum for almost 40 years. Conny has been a favorite of museum visitors – and passers-by."

Here are the facts about Conny the whale

The sperm whale is Connecticut’s state animal
Conny is a male. Male sperm whales are bigger than females, and at 60 feet long, Conny could only be a guy. Female sperm whales max out at about 45 feet. Toothed whales (sperm whales, dolphins) have males that are larger, but in baleen whales (blue whales, humpback whales) the ladies are bigger.
Just like a real sperm whale, Conny only has teeth in his lower jaw.
Also like his real world cousins, Conny’s blowhole is a little bit to the left on the top of his head.
Unlike Conny, real whales don’t squirt water out of their blowholes. They do exhale air from their lungs, which is moist and hot. When their breath hits the cold air at the surface, it forms fog, just like you do when you breathe out on a cold day.
Conny is made out of a combination of iron and cement. (aka “ferrocement”. “Ferro” = “iron”)
Conny was built in 1976 by volunteers from The Cetacean Society. (“Cetacean” = whale.)

"The sperm whale or cachalot (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus Physeter and one of three extant species in the sperm whale family, along with the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale of the genus Kogia." the Wikipedia says.

"The sperm whale is a pelagic mammal with a worldwide range, and will migrate seasonally for feeding and breeding. Females and young males live together in groups, while mature males (bulls) live solitary lives outside of the mating season. The females cooperate to protect and nurse their young. Females give birth every four to twenty years, and care for the calves for more than a decade. A mature sperm whale has few natural predators, although calves and weakened adults are sometimes killed by pods of killer whales (orcas).

"Mature males average 16 metres (52 ft) in length, with the head representing up to one-third of the animal's length. Plunging to 2,250 metres (7,382 ft), it is the third deepest diving mammal, exceeded only by the southern elephant seal and Cuvier's beaked whale. The sperm whale uses echolocation and vocalization with source level as loud as 236 decibels (re 1 µPa m) underwater. It has the largest brain on Earth, more than five times heavier than a human's. Sperm whales can live 70 years or more.

"Spermaceti (sperm oil), from which the whale derives its name, was a prime target of the whaling industry, and was sought after for use in oil lamps, lubricants, and candles. Ambergris, a solid waxy waste product sometimes present in its digestive system, is still highly valued as a fixative in perfumes, among other uses. Beachcombers look out for ambergris as flotsam. Sperm whaling was a major industry in the 19th century, depicted in the novel Moby-Dick. The species is protected by the International Whaling Commission moratorium, and is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature."

"For now, Conny the Whale will remain fenced inside the former Children's Museum site — no longer accessible to the public — on a site that will soon be home to a new use after the construction of a six-story luxury housing complex that will include amenities like an outdoor pool, a clubhouse, a dog park and a fitness center," the CT Insider reports.

"Conny the Whale, the 60-foot-long sperm whale statue that has been associated with the museum for decades, remains on the 950 Trout Brook Drive property that developers plan to turn into 172 units of luxury housing.

"Cetacean Society International — which built Conny in 1976 with a team of 100 volunteers — launched a fundraiser to help cover costs that would be associated with moving Conny. At the time, the group estimated that costs to move the statue across the street to the Trout Brook Trail greenway could cost $250,000."

"Conny, the 45,000-pound, 62-foot-long replica of a giant sperm whale built by hand in West Hartford by the Cetacean Society and volunteers in 1975-1976, was a visible symbol of the organization’s “Save the Whale” effort, and although its fate has been questionable since the land on which it sits was sold and is poised to become apartments, Conny may be about to get a new home closer to water," the we-ha.com reports.

"The whale – named “Conny,” as a nickname for “Connecticut” – has been located on the grounds of the Children’s Museum, which will shortly need to relocate due to plans to redevelop the property for multifamily residential use.

"Kingswood Oxford purchased the 950 Trout Brook Drive property – which is adjacent to its campus – from the Children’s Museum, then known as Science Center of Connecticut, Inc., in 2003. At the time the Children’s Museum, which had moved to the site in West Hartford in 1958, was already contemplating a move."

Testimonials from TripAdvisor

"It is always a fun day whenever we took the grandchild to This Museum. Not only are the animals usually at a height that children can easily view but the other exhibits are interactive and great fun. Kids can let off some steam in the playrooms where they can safely climb and go down slides. The science interactive exhiibit entices children to challenge their minds while having a great time."

"At first appearance the facility needs a rehab, but the activities inside cover everything from space exploration to animals to a sound factory. The kids had an amazing time, because the activities are geared to be the "fun" style educational ones and not the dry boring lose interest quickly versions. I dont know if our children learned anything, but they had so much fun and zero energy when they left."

" It was wonderful! Enough to do for an 11, 9 and 6 year old. Mostly hands-on, which they loved. Stayed about 3 hours which was enough time to see and do everything. Highly recommended!"

"As kids go the child liked the hands-on things to do. Play rooms, active exhibits were enjoyed. The various animal exhibits were more interesting to us adults than the child."