Acatushun museum, Natural history museum of southern marine birds and mammals in Ushuaia, Argentina
The Acatushun Museum is a natural history museum in Ushuaia housing thousands of skeletal remains and preserved specimens from southern waters. The displays feature whale skeletons, seal bones, penguin remains, and other marine creatures collected from Tierra del Fuego's coastlines.
The museum opened in 2001 and sits on the Harberton Estate, a historic property that dates back to the late 1800s. It grew from decades of scientific work gathering and studying marine creatures from these southern coasts.
The collection shows the connection between the sea and the Yámana people who once lived along Tierra del Fuego's coasts. This relationship shapes how visitors understand the animal life of this region today.
The site functions as a working research center with open laboratories and workshops where visitors can watch scientists prepare bones. It is wise to check access routes before visiting, as the estate lies somewhat outside the main town.
The only complete humpback whale skeleton on display came from a specimen found on the Ushuaia peninsula in mid-2012 and was added to the collection in 2013; two other humpback skeletons at the museum are incomplete. Outside the main hall, a shed called "la casa de los huesos" is where bones are cleaned and prepared before classification.
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