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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.

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

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-140-31121240

Item type

Material

Width

34 mm

Height or length

93 mm

Depth

19 mm

Themes

Inscriptions and markings

Illegible handwritten inscription in black marker on the underside 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

View full record

The complete record is viewable through the National Archives database RecordSearch.

Copyright and Reference

Copyright and Reference

Copyright category

Date of creation +70 years

Attribution requirements

NAA: K1393, 28.A.66-3

National Archives of Australia, Western Australia Office

National Archives of Australia, Western Australia Office

Organisation Details
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Bisected cream coloured whale tooth positioned flat side up next to metal ruler to show length.

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