Researchers have travelled from as far as the United States to get a first-hand look at the dissection of a rare whale that washed ashore on a Dunedin beach earlier this year.
The spade-toothed whale, which was found at Taieri Mouth in July, is the first of its species to be dissected.
A team of scientists began the dissection at the Invermay Agricultural Centre yesterday.
The examination of the 5m-long, 1.38-tonne whale will be undertaken throughout the week and completed on Friday.
Scientists hope to get a basic understanding of the whale and, along with that, fresh insights into its behaviour.
Department of Conservation senior marine science adviser Anton van Helden said the dissection would be quiet and methodical.
"The essential plan is that we work through the animal.
"But there’s other exciting things that we hope to do."
Dr van Helden was elated to be involved and fascinated to discover how the whale produced sound.
Not a lot is known about the spade-toothed whale and this was only the seventh time a spade-toothed whale had been documented and the first time a complete specimen had been recovered in good condition for examination.
"It’s really a slow and methodical protocol to try and describe everything that we can around what this whale is, who this whale is, and therefore we can make connections to other species in the same genus or related way."
"People think the reason you do a dissection is simply to find cause of death, because that’s what we’re quite used to.
"This is really an anatomical descriptive dissection."
Te Runaka o Ōtakou member Tumai Cassidy said honouring the whale was important to mana whenua.
"It’s quite important for us and then according to our beliefs and our traditions."
The whale was a gift for Tangaroa, the Māori god of the sea, he said.
The examination of the whale is being led by Te Rūnaka o Ōtākou, in partnership with Doc, Tūhura Otago Museum, University of Otago, whale recovery expert Hori Parata and international marine biologists from the US.
Icahn School of Medicine professor Joy Reidenberg travelled from the US to attend the dissection.
"What we are interested in is not only how these animals died, but how they lived.
"And in discovering how they lived, we are hoping to find discoveries that we can apply back to the human condition."
Following the dissection, Te Rūnaka o Ōtākou has given permission to Tūhura Otago Museum to retain the skeleton but will hold the jawbone for cultural purposes.
A 3D print will be made of the jaw for presentation purposes by the museum.
