Enormous Sperm Whale Skull Stolen from Museum in Mystery Theft

A massive whale skull has been stolen from a museum, leaving staff mystified as to how the thieves could have gotten away with the act.

The skull, which is owned by the volunteer-run Eden Killer Whale Museum in southeastern Australia, was being stored at a private property nearby.

"Given the size and weight of the skull, it would have required large machinery (including a crane and a flat bed truck) to undertake the move," the museum posted on Facebook alongside pictures of the skull.

Sperm whales grow to between 49 and 59 feet long and weigh up to 45 tons, according to National Geographic. They are known for their large heads, containing the biggest brain of any animal alive today, as well as large quantities of an oily fluid called spermaceti. Sperm whales often travel in pods of between 15 and 20 individuals, and are capable of diving to depths of more than 10,000 feet for an hour or more to look for food.

The skull was donated to the museum more than 10 years ago, having possibly been discovered by trawler fishers, the museum's head of collections, Angela George, told ABC News Australia.

"I was absolutely gutted," she said. "For the life of me I can't understand why anyone would want to steal it."

Sperm whale skulls are enormous, comprising around a third of the length of the whale's entire body. One exceptionally large specimen was described in 1853 as being 62 feet long, with a 20 foot-long head.

Therefore, removing the skull and hiding it was not a one-person job, and likely would have required some machinery.

"It's bloody huge, so this took some organization and coordination by whoever took it," George said.

The museum hopes that since the skull was taken from an area where there are often lots of people, someone must have seen what happened.

"Located as the block is on the corner of Imlay and By Streets just above the wharf area on the Eden Lookout, it is unlikely that it could have happened secretly, so we're hoping that someone saw something and will come forward to provide information to help us get it back," the museum said in its post.

"It is illegal in NSW (New South Wales) to possess any part of a whale without the appropriate licenses, with those found guilty of the offense potentially facing fines in excess of $80,000," the museum said.

It isn't the first time that whale bones have been stolen in recent months: in October 2022 some 23 million-year-old whale bone fossils were stolen from Little Wanganui River, on the northwest coast of New Zealand's South Island.

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