Whale's jaw displayed on Teesside

The lower 7ft jaw bone of a 45ft long male sperm whale, which beached at Redcar in 2011, has been unveiled at a ceremony at Zetland Lifeboat Museum.

The whale died despite efforts to rescue it.

A postmortem examination indicated that the 35 tonne whale probably died of starvation and dehydration after straying from its usual habitat.

The whale's lower jaw bone was buried in half peat and half sand to allow the oil and fat to drain away from it. The bones were then put in a solution of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide before the teeth were set in the jawbone sockets.