Francis Charles Fraser (16 June 1903 - 21 October 1978) was a Scottish zoologist, one of the world's leading authorities on

cetacea Cetacea (; , ) is an infraorder of aquatic mammals that includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Key characteristics are their fully aquatic lifestyle, streamlined body shape, often large size and exclusively carnivorous diet. They propel them ...

(whales and dolphins). He worked at the

British Museum (Natural History) The Natural History Museum in London is a museum that exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history. It is one of three major museums on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, the others being the Science Museum an ...

from 1933 to 1969.

Life

He was born at

Dingwall Dingwall ( sco, Dingwal, gd, Inbhir Pheofharain ) is a town and a royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,491. It was an east-coast harbour that now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest cas ...

Ross-shire Ross-shire (; gd, Siorrachd Rois) is a historic county in the Scottish Highlands. The county borders Sutherland to the north and Inverness-shire to the south, as well as having a complex border with Cromartyshire – a county consisting of ...

, the son of James Fraser, master saddler and blacksmith, and Barbara Anne Macdonald. He was educated at

Dingwall Academy Dingwall Academy is the largest secondary school in the Highlands of Scotland, with an enrolment of 1048 pupils as of August 2018. The Academy is situated in the centre of Dingwall and brings in pupils from Conon Bridge, Maryburgh, Muir of Ord ...

and the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. Following a brief period as demonstrator in the department of geology at the University of Glasgow, Fraser worked from 1925-33 as a zoologist for the British government's

Discovery Committee The Discovery Committee was a popular name for the Interdepartmental Committee for the Dependencies of the Falkland Islands established by the British Government to carry out scientific investigations (which became known as ‘Discovery Investigati ...

, investigating whale stocks around the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouzet ...

. In 1933 Fraser started as assistant keeper in the department of zoology at the

, soon specialising in whale research. He was responsible for the 1938 installation of the blue whale model in the museum's whale hall. With the exception of a period during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

working for the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

, he continued to work on whales for the entirety of his career at the museum, continuing his research after retirement in 1969, with work on whale strandings on the British coast and notable research on the hearing of marine mammals. He served as

Keeper of Zoology The Keeper of Zoology was a zoological academic position within the Natural History Museum in London, England. The Keeper of Zoology acted as the head of the Department of Zoology. The following is a list of those who have held this position, whic ...

between 1957 and 1964 and was made CBE in 1962 and a Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

in 1966. He was awarded the

Polar Medal The Polar Medal is a medal awarded by the Sovereign of the United Kingdom to individuals who have outstanding achievements in the field of polar research, and particularly for those who have worked over extended periods in harsh climates. It w ...

in 1942.

Fraser's dolphin Fraser's dolphin or the Sarawak dolphin (''Lagenodelphis hosei'') is a cetacean in the family Delphinidae found in deep waters in the Pacific Ocean and to a lesser extent in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Taxonomy ''Lagenodelphis hosei'' is spe ...

and

Fraser Point Fraser Point is a point between Marr Bay and Mackintosh Cove on the north coast of Laurie Island, in the South Orkney Islands of Antarctica. It was mapped by the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition in 1903, and in 1912–13 by Captain Pette ...

are named in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Francis Charles 1903 births 1978 deaths Fellows of the Royal Society Cetologists 20th-century British zoologists People from Dingwall Museum administrators