Worth popping in for

The history of the science of whales, or “cetology,” is fascinating and richly layered. The Oregon Chapter of the American Cetacean Society will offer a glimpse into the field at its monthly speaker series meeting this Saturday, May 1.

Starting at 10 am, natural history illustrator Uko Gorter will present “The Scientific Pursuit of Whales from the Antiquities to the Twentieth Century.”

In 1787, the famous Scottish surgeon and anatomist John Hunter lamented that it was "our unfitness to pursue our researches in the unfathomable waters" regarding the scientific inquiry of whales. From ancient classical times through the early 20th Century, this challenge continued to plague naturalists and zoologists.

While it is impossible to fully detail this story in a single presentation, Gorter will give a succinct overview and highlight some of the most important protagonists who shaped this unique branch of zoology, including philosophers, compilers, naturalists, ship-surgeons, systemizers, museum curators, anatomists, acousticians, molecular biologists, ethologists and many more.

Born in Holland, Gorter ended a 17-year career as a professional ballet dancer in 1997 in order to follow in his father's footsteps and pursue his lifelong dream of becoming an illustrator. He enrolled in the School of Visual Concepts and the School of Realist Art, both in Seattle, where his interest in nature led him to become a natural history illustrator specializing in marine mammals.

Gorter has traveled extensively to observe whales, dolphins and other marine mammals in their natural environment. His work has appeared in scientific journals, museums, interpretive signs and books. The culmination of this work was illustrating all marine mammal species for the second edition of “Marine Mammals of the World: A Comprehensive Guide to Their Identification.” More recently his work was featured in the "Anatomy of Dolphins; Insights into Body Structure and Function” and the “Encyclopedia of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises.”

He joined the American Cetacean Society in 2002, and is the current president. He lives with his wife in Kirkland, Washington.

For more information about Saturday’s virtual presentation, go to www.acsonline.org or the American Cetacean Society-Oregon Chapter on Facebook.