Fossil Whale Remains in Santa Cruz, California

Palaeontologists are trying to extract a 5 my old fossil whale from the rock matrix around it. Here is the story with accompanying video. Interestingly, it plays into my "Palaeontology is not cheap" posts in the following way:

Scientists want to keep the public away from the site as they continue to ensure the safety of the skeleton, making the dig going at the Santa Cruz County beach something of a noisy secret.Some locals know scientists are digging up what they hope will be remains of an ancient whale. So far, paleontologists have been able to preserve both the secret location and the five million year old bones.

As sure as the location is revealed, some jackass will try to swipe some of the remains. This is a critical time for whale evolution.