National Archives of Australia, Western Australia Office > Records

Tooth sample from sperm whale caught off Albany, Western Australia, 1966

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CSIRO, Division of Fisheries and Oceanography

1966

Overview

Bisected whale tooth mounted on a block of timber with adhesive.

Historical information

Teeth were extracted from sperm whales caught off the Western Australian coast between 1964 and 1966 and were related to research carried out by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Division of Fisheries.
According to notes by CSIRO scientist Dr Graham Chittleborough, the samples are the upper and front teeth of the whales. Some are whole; others have been longitudinally bisected and the exposed surface acid etched to enhance the growth bands for examination.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-140-31121239

Item type

Objects

Material

Bone

Width

58 mm

Height or length

92 mm

Depth

47 mm

Themes

Nature

Inscriptions and markings

Handwritten in black ink: 28.A.66’T’ on the base of the wooden block.
Handwritten in black ink: 46-3 on the base of the tooth.

Contextual Information

The CSIRO used the tooth samples to obtain genetic material for research purposes.
The tooth samples were originally transferred into archival custody with data sheets and tissue sample slides.
Tooth samples were identified by whale number, a letter or letters to denote relative location to a whaling station where the whale was caught, and the year in which this occurred. This information was written in the format: Whale number - Locality – Year.

Keywords

Place made

Australia

Year

1966

Links to additional resources

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