It’s been four days since a the carcass of an actual sperm whale washed up near the shores of Jurong Island, and the staff of Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum are racing against time to dissect and analyse the specimen for research purposes.
As a testament to their skills, the dead sperm whale has not exploded in their faces throughout their time working through the carcass.
Measuring between 10 and 15 metres in length, the discovery of the sperm whale marks the first time such a species was found here. A member of the public by the name of Jailani alerted the authorities about the massive carcass when he spotted it floating in the waters near an offshore tank terminal. Various government bodies including the Maritime Port Authority and the National Environment Agency helped the museum’s staff salvage the carcass, and was brought to land last Friday evening.
Reportedly, the whale sported multiple cuts and bruises on its body, leading experts to think that it might have been hit by a large boat.
With plans to display the sperm whale’s skeleton once research has been completed, museum staff have been hard at work cutting and peeling the whale blubber to extract the whale’s guts. You know you’re in the right profession when you’re spending the weekend getting your hands dirty slicing up a giant sea monster.
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