Opening tomorrow, the special exhibition Whales: Giants of the Deep is co-curated by John J. Flynn, Frick Curator of Fossil Mammals, Division of Paleontology, and Dean of the Richard Gilder Graduate School. We recently spoke with Dr. Flynn about the exhibition’s many highlights, his fieldwork in South America, and his sightings of whales in the wild.

A whale of a tale! In a video, get the inside view from Museum curators about our newest exhibition, Whales: Giants of the Deep, which opens Saturday, March 23, 2013.

Okay, just 8 possible nicknames left. Does our hypothetical common placental ancestor look more like a Placentor or a Mancestor? Nova or Hypotheshrew? Make your vote today for a final, furry 4!

Nearly 3,000 people cast their vote during our first round of March Mammal Madness, narrowing the possible names for our hypothetical common placental ancestor down to 16. Help us narrow down the choices even further by voting for your favorites below. You have until 5 pm EDT on Tuesday, March 19, to make your selections.

The “Name Your Ancestor” contest resulted in more than 1,000 name suggestions for the hypothetical common placental ancestor that scientists described last month. The top 32 contestants, as selected by the Museum and WNYC’s Radiolab, range from serious to silly. Starting today, we need your help to pick the winning moniker for this small, furry, insect-eating mammal.