NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WPRI) — Those who have stopped by the New Bedford Whaling Museum have more than likely marveled over the 66-foot whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling. Robert Rocha, the museum's associate curator of science and research, told 12 News he has a silly, yet strange warning he gives visitors caught staring in awe at the whale, whose name is KOBO. "I like to joke with visitors that are standing underneath the skeleton that this is a good reminder to not look up with your mouth open," he said. That's because Rocha said the rare blue whale skeleton is actually leaking oil. KOBO, short for "King of the Blue Ocean," has been on display at the museum for 24 years now. Rocha explained that KOBO's bone marrow is actually "full of oil," even though the whale has been dead for more than two decades. "It's seeping out through the pores of the bones," Rocha said. "The outer edges of the bone are a little more porous than human bones and [gravity is] just pulling the oil out." Rocha said the museum installed an oil catcher back in 2010 to begin measuring how often KOBO leaks. "We wanted to know how much this thing drips on a weekly and daily basis," he said. The oil catcher consists of a series of tubes that start at the tip of KOBO's rostrum and funnel down into a beaker. "[The beaker] took several years to fill," Rocha said. "We filled that flask once and it took eight years to do." "Had we done this early on, when this thing first went on display in the summer of 2000, we would have probably filled up another flask or two easily," he continued. KOBO is one of four blue whale skeletons on display across the globe, according to Rocha. The whale was discovered wrapped around the bow of a tanker that had accidentally killed him back in 1998. KOBO's carcass was eventually towed to shore and dissected for research and educational purposes. Rocha said KOBO continues to make his presence known. "[KOBO] still drips every day, but not nearly as much as he did 20 years ago," Rocha said. "[The dripping oil is] also adding a little bit of a smell to the gallery, which gives visitors a sense of what it was like to be stuck on a whaling ship for three or four years." Rocha said he's always been careful to not get dripped on while walking underneath the skeleton. "How many times have I been dripped on? So far, zero," he said. "I have gotten oil on my clothes while cleaning it, but in terms of oil dripping on me? None." That's not the case for FUN107's Chris Arsenault, who met KOBO while visiting the museum 10 years ago. "I felt something wet on the back of my neck, and there was a brownish tint that ended up staining the back of my white-collared shirt," Arsenault recalled. "I had to get rid of it." Arsenault has no hard feelings toward KOBO, though. "If you ask me, that's pretty lucky," he said. Rocha said back in the day, whalers would strip the blubber from the whales and turn it into liquid oil to use for lighting and heating. He believes KOBO's leaking remains should serve as a reminder that whales are magnificent creatures and should be respected. "Be careful and appreciate the animals," he said. "Despite centuries of us hunting them, [whales] still treat us pretty well, and I'm not quite sure why to be honest." KOBO is expected to stop leaking within the next 30 to 40 years. Until then, Rocha said the occasional drippage will continue to serve as an educational opportunity. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now This Week in Good News SIGN UP NOW