Sperm whale specimen on display in Shanghai
( 2002-11-04 15:38 ) (8 )

The body of an 18.4-meter male sperm whale, the longest ever found in China, went on show at the Whale Aquarium of the Shanghai Marine Lives University on Sunday.

The specimen includes the shape of the whale, made of its skin, and its skeleton, consisting of more than 300 bones, which altogether weigh approximately three tons.

University president Zhou Yingqi told Xinhua that the sperm whale was discovered by Chinese fishermen in the Qiongzhou Straits, between south China's Guangdong Province and the island province of Hainan, in May last year.

The whale was dead when it was found, and probably died after getting entangled in a fishing net, according to the president.

The life span of sperm whale is around 70 years, but this whale was only about 40 years old.

It took experts of Shanghai Marine Lives University more than one year to make the specimen. The Fishery Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture has supported the work.

The specimen will be used in both teaching and scientific research, it was decided by the Fishery Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture.