{"id":188618,"date":"2026-03-06T04:44:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T03:44:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/fra-strand-til-samling-kaskelotkaeber-er-havnet-i-haenderne-paa-kus-konservator\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T05:40:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T04:40:10","slug":"stranded-sperm-whales-end-up-as-rare-bones-in-university-of-copenhagen-collection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/stranded-sperm-whales-end-up-as-rare-bones-in-university-of-copenhagen-collection\/","title":{"rendered":"Stranded sperm whales end up as rare bones in University of Copenhagen collection"},"content":{"rendered":"

T<\/span>he door to the cold storage swings open. A sweet smell of something, almost rotting, drifts into my nostrils. The faint hint of something that was once alive. On pallets, under the harsh ceiling lighting, four enormous lower jaws from sperm whales, set up like goods in a warehouse.<\/p>\n

\u00bbSo there they are,\u00ab says biologist and collection assistant at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, Daniel Johansson, nodding towards the floor.<\/p>\n

\u00bbAnd there are two more out with the veterinarians in Frederiksberg campus. We\u2019ll pick these up later.\u00ab<\/p>\n

We are in the dissection room at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, where animal bones and teeth are processed, registered, and prepared to become part of the museum\u2019s enormous collection.<\/p>\n

Next to the jaws in the freezer is the flipper of a whale and, along the wall, crates with other bone fragments. All parts of what can be recovered from an animal weighing around 25 tonnes washed up on a beach.<\/p>\n

This has happened time and time again in recent months.<\/p>\n

Eight sperm whales have stranded in Denmark \u2014 mainly around the island of Fan\u00f8 in the Wadden Sea.<\/p>\n

Six of the lower jaws have now been secured and they have ended up here at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, which is a unit of the University of Copenhagen (UCPH). They will be used for research and become part of the collection, where they can be preserved for future generations.<\/p>\n

North Sea is like a funnel<\/h3>\n

Sperm whales normally live in deep waters near the equator, where they dive for squid and navigate using clicking sounds and echolocation.<\/p>\n

With the coming of autumn, the male sperm whales head towards the poles for a season of intense feeding. When the waters get warmer, they head back towards the equator, where the largest males get the chance to mate with the females.<\/p>\n

But on the return journey from the Arctic, the young males sometimes swim the wrong way. Instead of heading west around the British Isles and out into the Atlantic Ocean, they enter the North Sea, where they become trapped and cannot find their way out.<\/p>\n

\u00bbThe North Sea is like a funnel. And once the whales get in, the water is shallow no matter which direction they turn,\u00ab says Daniel Johansson.
\n
\nSperm whales are also social animals, so when one whale strands, it calls out to the others, who then follow it. This brings in more massive animals up onto the beaches.<\/p>\n

Once a large whale is firmly stranded, there is rarely much that you can do. The shallow waters of the Wadden Sea make it impossible to guide the animals back out to sea.<\/p>\n

Researchers therefore have to let them die on the beach, after which they can dissect them to learn more about their biology. A dissection often involves more than 20 different specialists, particularly veterinarians and biologists. But the work is not only about research. It is also about getting there first.<\/p>\n

Stolen lower jaws<\/h3>\n

\u00bbThe first thing that was done was to cut off the lower jaws,\u00ab says Daniel Johansson about the work on the whales at one of the strandings.<\/p>\n

It was staff from the Danish Nature Agency who removed the jaws to secure the teeth \u2014 for fear that someone else might otherwise cut them off.<\/p>\n

\u00bbWe knew that unfortunately it was something that could happen.\u00ab<\/p>\n

The risk is real. Shortly after it had washed ashore, unknown perpetrators had sawn off the lower jaw of a stranded sperm whale near the Bl\u00e5vandshuk Lighthouse at the beginning of February.<\/p>\n

\u00bbThey are most likely going for the teeth,\u00ab says Daniel Johansson.<\/p>\n

\u00bbThe only thing I know they are used for is tupilaks (small figurines originally from Inuit culture carved from materials such as whale bone or teeth, ed.). Whether someone is trying to sell them, or what they intend to do with them, we do not know,\u00ab he says.
\n
\nBut the teeth are also of value to researchers. They can, for example, be used to determine the age of the stranded animals.<\/p>\n

Stranded whales are by law government property, and there is significant research value in securing as much of the animals as possible. Every single tooth and every bone contains data.<\/p>\n

And that is why the lower jaws are now in cold storage at the Natural History Museum of Denmark.<\/p>\n

A working life in decay<\/h3>\n

From the cold room, the tour continues into a large space filled with tubs, buckets, tools, bones, and labelling tags.<\/p>\n

This is where conservator at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, Mikkel H\u00f8egh Post, works to \u2018transform\u2019 animals into skeletons that can become part of the collection.<\/p>\n

\u00bbThe most effective and cheapest method is to let it rot,\u00ab he says, bluntly.<\/p>\n

The method is called maceration. The animal \u2014 or parts of it \u2014 is placed in water, and then bacteria take care of the rest. The flesh loosens from the bones. The cartilage then follows. Eventually the bones can be lifted out.<\/p>\n

\u00bbWe can accelerate the process by adding heat,\u00ab says Mikkel H\u00f8egh Post.<\/p>\n

\u00bbSo if we have something where it needs to go a bit faster, we set the temperature at 35\u201440 degrees.\u00ab
\n
\nBut faster is not always better. Especially not when it comes to teeth.<\/p>\n

\u00bbIf it gets warm, they fall out quickly. And then you can\u2019t see which tooth belongs where,\u00ab he explains.<\/p>\n

In practice, this is the difference between a skeleton that can be reconstructed, and a skeleton that is a puzzle that cannot be put back together.<\/p>\n

With the sperm whale jaws, the order is crucial. The teeth look alike, so when they drop out during the process it can be difficult to see exactly whether one tooth was before or after another.<\/p>\n

\u00bbI\u2019ve found that it\u2019s actually relatively easy to write on the teeth with a marker pen and then remove it again afterwards. So now I mark them, and then they can go ahead and rot and fall out. But now I know the order and how they should fit,\u00ab says Mikkel H\u00f8egh Post.<\/p>\n

It is a kind of systematic craftsmanship, where incorrect numbering or sloppy packaging will mean that an animal cannot be assembled correctly.<\/p>\n

\u00bbIn that sense, the preparatory work is quite extensive and important. Because just chucking something in and letting it rot is easy. But then you end up with an unsolvable puzzle if it hasn\u2019t been registered correctly,\u00ab says the conservator.<\/p>\n

The hardest thing to clean from the bones is not the flesh, but the fat. It penetrates the pores, and continues to seep out for years, collecting dust and dirt so that even a cleaned skeleton is slowly discoloured.
\n
\nAround the dissection room are bones that are several years old. They still slowly \u2018drip\u2019 small amounts of fat and oil.<\/p>\n

The whales\u2019 enormous quantities of blubber and oil, which seep into the bones during the cleaning process, make them among the most difficult skeletons to prepare neatly.<\/p>\n

\u00bbIt\u2019s difficult to plan my work because animals are constantly arriving,\u00ab says Mikkel H\u00f8egh Post. He describes how the work is interrupted when five wolves from Jutland suddenly arrive, or a young hippopotamus, a crocodile from a zoo, or six lower jaws from stranded sperm whales.<\/p>\n

Enormous collection<\/h3>\n

Only a few of the many bones and teeth that are cleaned in the dissection room are displayed in the museum. But they all become part of the collection.<\/p>\n

\u00bbThe public sees only the very tip of the iceberg. But the collection is what we are here for,\u00ab says Daniel Johansson.<\/p>\n

If the exhibition contains a thousand objects, the collection contains millions. It is here that researchers can follow trends over time, examine variation in populations, and measure the effects of environment, hunting, and pollution.<\/p>\n

Using the material, scientists can conduct DNA and isotope analyses, investigate diseases, and measure differences in sex, size, and age. Teeth and skulls are particularly valuable, as they can reveal both diet and age and are crucial for identifying species in several groups of animals.<\/p>\n

This is the reason why the museum does not collect only what is immediately relevant. Decades from now, new methods and new questions may turn even an old whale jaw into a key to knowledge that we do not yet realise we are missing.<\/p>\n

After the University Post\u2019s visit, Mikkel H\u00f8egh Post begins the cleaning process itself: The largest chunks of meat and cartilage are removed, the order of the teeth is marked, and the jaws are submerged in water. After repeated water changes, heating, and scrubbing, the bones are dried before finally finding their permanent place in the collection.<\/p>\n

This article was first written in Danish and published on 4 March 2026. It has been translated into English and post-edited by Mike Young.<\/em>
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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13:24:30","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2560,"height":1707,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe8-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe8-480x320.jpg","medium-width":480,"medium-height":320,"medium_large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe8-768x512.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe8-1280x853.jpg","large-width":1280,"large-height":853,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe8-1536x1024.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe8-2048x1365.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1365,"featured-soft":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe8-290x193.jpg","featured-soft-width":290,"featured-soft-height":193,"featured-hard":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe8-290x180.jpg","featured-hard-width":290,"featured-hard-height":180,"narrow":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe8-700x467.jpg","narrow-width":700,"narrow-height":467,"extended":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe8-990x660.jpg","extended-width":990,"extended-height":660}},"style":"full","text_placement":"metadata-below","image_link_url":"","image_link_title":"","caption_prefix":"","enable_alternative_caption":true,"alternative_caption":"Four of the six lower jaws that are currently being cleaned. Only the bones and teeth will remain."},{"acf_fc_layout":"Standfirst","subject":"Whale teeth","text":"This is a story about what will follow","use_post_excerpt":true},{"acf_fc_layout":"Byline","is_author":true,"contributors":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p><span class=\"dropcap\">T<\/span>he door to the cold storage swings open. A sweet smell of something, almost rotting, drifts into my nostrils. The faint hint of something that was once alive. On pallets, under the harsh ceiling lighting, four enormous lower jaws from sperm whales, set up like goods in a warehouse.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbSo there they are,\u00ab says biologist and collection assistant at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, Daniel Johansson, nodding towards the floor.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbAnd there are two more out with the veterinarians in Frederiksberg campus. We\u2019ll pick these up later.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>We are in the dissection room at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, where animal bones and teeth are processed, registered, and prepared to become part of the museum\u2019s enormous collection.<\/p>\n<p>Next to the jaws in the freezer is the flipper of a whale and, along the wall, crates with other bone fragments. All parts of what can be recovered from an animal weighing around 25 tonnes washed up on a beach.<\/p>\n<p>This has happened time and time again in recent months.<\/p>\n<p>Eight sperm whales have stranded in Denmark \u2014 mainly around the island of Fan\u00f8 in the Wadden Sea.<\/p>\n<p>Six of the lower jaws have now been secured and they have ended up here at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, which is a unit of the University of Copenhagen (UCPH). They will be used for research and become part of the collection, where they can be preserved for future generations.<\/p>\n<h3>North Sea is like a funnel<\/h3>\n<p>Sperm whales normally live in deep waters near the equator, where they dive for squid and navigate using clicking sounds and echolocation.<\/p>\n<p>With the coming of autumn, the male sperm whales head towards the poles for a season of intense feeding. When the waters get warmer, they head back towards the equator, where the largest males get the chance to mate with the females.<\/p>\n<p>But on the return journey from the Arctic, the young males sometimes swim the wrong way. Instead of heading west around the British Isles and out into the Atlantic Ocean, they enter the North Sea, where they become trapped and cannot find their way out.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThe North Sea is like a funnel. And once the whales get in, the water is shallow no matter which direction they turn,\u00ab says Daniel Johansson.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Image","image":{"ID":188596,"id":188596,"title":"Hvalk\u00e6be2","filename":"hvalkaebe2-scaled.jpg","filesize":959918,"url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe2-scaled.jpg","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/fra-strand-til-samling-kaskelotkaeber-er-havnet-i-haenderne-paa-kus-konservator\/hvalkaebe2-2\/","alt":"","author":"106","description":"","caption":"","name":"hvalkaebe2-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":188602,"date":"2026-03-04 13:17:06","modified":"2026-03-04 13:28:02","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2560,"height":1707,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe2-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe2-480x320.jpg","medium-width":480,"medium-height":320,"medium_large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe2-768x512.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe2-1280x853.jpg","large-width":1280,"large-height":853,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe2-1536x1024.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe2-2048x1365.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1365,"featured-soft":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe2-290x193.jpg","featured-soft-width":290,"featured-soft-height":193,"featured-hard":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe2-290x180.jpg","featured-hard-width":290,"featured-hard-height":180,"narrow":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe2-700x467.jpg","narrow-width":700,"narrow-height":467,"extended":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe2-990x660.jpg","extended-width":990,"extended-height":660}},"style":"full","text_placement":"metadata-below","image_link_url":"","image_link_title":"","caption_prefix":"","enable_alternative_caption":true,"alternative_caption":"The dissection room is packed with all kinds of bones from both Danish and exotic animals."},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>Sperm whales are also social animals, so when one whale strands, it calls out to the others, who then follow it. This brings in more massive animals up onto the beaches.<\/p>\n<p>Once a large whale is firmly stranded, there is rarely much that you can do. The shallow waters of the Wadden Sea make it impossible to guide the animals back out to sea.<\/p>\n<p>Researchers therefore have to let them die on the beach, after which they can dissect them to learn more about their biology. A dissection often involves more than 20 different specialists, particularly veterinarians and biologists. But the work is not only about research. It is also about getting there first.<\/p>\n<h3>Stolen lower jaws<\/h3>\n<p>\u00bbThe first thing that was done was to cut off the lower jaws,\u00ab says Daniel Johansson about the work on the whales at one of the strandings.<\/p>\n<p>It was staff from the Danish Nature Agency who removed the jaws to secure the teeth \u2014 for fear that someone else might otherwise cut them off.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbWe knew that unfortunately it was something that could happen.\u00ab<\/p>\n<p>The risk is real. Shortly after it had washed ashore, unknown perpetrators had sawn off the lower jaw of a stranded sperm whale near the Bl\u00e5vandshuk Lighthouse at the beginning of February.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThey are most likely going for the teeth,\u00ab says Daniel Johansson.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThe only thing I know they are used for is tupilaks (small figurines originally from Inuit culture carved from materials such as whale bone or teeth, ed.). Whether someone is trying to sell them, or what they intend to do with them, we do not know,\u00ab he says.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Image","image":{"ID":188577,"id":188577,"title":"Hvalk\u00e6be11","filename":"hvalkaebe11-scaled.jpg","filesize":719302,"url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe11-scaled.jpg","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/fra-strand-til-samling-kaskelotkaeber-er-havnet-i-haenderne-paa-kus-konservator\/hvalkaebe11-2\/","alt":"","author":"106","description":"","caption":"","name":"hvalkaebe11-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":188602,"date":"2026-03-04 13:16:07","modified":"2026-03-04 13:30:00","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2560,"height":1707,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe11-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe11-480x320.jpg","medium-width":480,"medium-height":320,"medium_large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe11-768x512.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe11-1280x853.jpg","large-width":1280,"large-height":853,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe11-1536x1024.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe11-2048x1365.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1365,"featured-soft":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe11-290x193.jpg","featured-soft-width":290,"featured-soft-height":193,"featured-hard":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe11-290x180.jpg","featured-hard-width":290,"featured-hard-height":180,"narrow":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe11-700x467.jpg","narrow-width":700,"narrow-height":467,"extended":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe11-990x660.jpg","extended-width":990,"extended-height":660}},"style":"full","text_placement":"metadata-below","image_link_url":"","image_link_title":"","caption_prefix":"","enable_alternative_caption":true,"alternative_caption":"The sperm whale is the world\u2019s largest predator, and its diet consists mainly of squid. The sharp teeth are sought after for the carving of tupilaks."},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>But the teeth are also of value to researchers. They can, for example, be used to determine the age of the stranded animals.<\/p>\n<p>Stranded whales are by law government property, and there is significant research value in securing as much of the animals as possible. Every single tooth and every bone contains data.<\/p>\n<p>And that is why the lower jaws are now in cold storage at the Natural History Museum of Denmark.<\/p>\n<h3>A working life in decay<\/h3>\n<p>From the cold room, the tour continues into a large space filled with tubs, buckets, tools, bones, and labelling tags.<\/p>\n<p>This is where conservator at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, Mikkel H\u00f8egh Post, works to \u2018transform\u2019 animals into skeletons that can become part of the collection.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThe most effective and cheapest method is to let it rot,\u00ab he says, bluntly.<\/p>\n<p>The method is called maceration. The animal \u2014 or parts of it \u2014 is placed in water, and then bacteria take care of the rest. The flesh loosens from the bones. The cartilage then follows. Eventually the bones can be lifted out.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbWe can accelerate the process by adding heat,\u00ab says Mikkel H\u00f8egh Post.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbSo if we have something where it needs to go a bit faster, we set the temperature at 35\u201440 degrees.\u00ab<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Image","image":{"ID":188575,"id":188575,"title":"Hvalk\u00e6be12","filename":"hvalkaebe12-scaled.jpg","filesize":1079440,"url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe12-scaled.jpg","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/fra-strand-til-samling-kaskelotkaeber-er-havnet-i-haenderne-paa-kus-konservator\/hvalkaebe12-2\/","alt":"","author":"106","description":"","caption":"","name":"hvalkaebe12-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":188602,"date":"2026-03-04 13:16:00","modified":"2026-03-04 13:28:03","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2560,"height":1707,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe12-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe12-480x320.jpg","medium-width":480,"medium-height":320,"medium_large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe12-768x512.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe12-1280x853.jpg","large-width":1280,"large-height":853,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe12-1536x1024.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe12-2048x1365.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1365,"featured-soft":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe12-290x193.jpg","featured-soft-width":290,"featured-soft-height":193,"featured-hard":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe12-290x180.jpg","featured-hard-width":290,"featured-hard-height":180,"narrow":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe12-700x467.jpg","narrow-width":700,"narrow-height":467,"extended":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe12-990x660.jpg","extended-width":990,"extended-height":660}},"style":"full","text_placement":"metadata-below","image_link_url":"","image_link_title":"","caption_prefix":"","enable_alternative_caption":true,"alternative_caption":"The collection includes both wild animals and animals from zoos."},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>But faster is not always better. Especially not when it comes to teeth.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIf it gets warm, they fall out quickly. And then you can\u2019t see which tooth belongs where,\u00ab he explains.<\/p>\n<p>In practice, this is the difference between a skeleton that can be reconstructed, and a skeleton that is a puzzle that cannot be put back together.<\/p>\n<p>With the sperm whale jaws, the order is crucial. The teeth look alike, so when they drop out during the process it can be difficult to see exactly whether one tooth was before or after another.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbI\u2019ve found that it\u2019s actually relatively easy to write on the teeth with a marker pen and then remove it again afterwards. So now I mark them, and then they can go ahead and rot and fall out. But now I know the order and how they should fit,\u00ab says Mikkel H\u00f8egh Post.<\/p>\n<p>It is a kind of systematic craftsmanship, where incorrect numbering or sloppy packaging will mean that an animal cannot be assembled correctly.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIn that sense, the preparatory work is quite extensive and important. Because just chucking something in and letting it rot is easy. But then you end up with an unsolvable puzzle if it hasn\u2019t been registered correctly,\u00ab says the conservator.<\/p>\n<p>The hardest thing to clean from the bones is not the flesh, but the fat. It penetrates the pores, and continues to seep out for years, collecting dust and dirt so that even a cleaned skeleton is slowly discoloured.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Image","image":{"ID":188573,"id":188573,"title":"Hvalk\u00e6be13","filename":"hvalkaebe13-scaled.jpg","filesize":1541153,"url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe13-scaled.jpg","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/fra-strand-til-samling-kaskelotkaeber-er-havnet-i-haenderne-paa-kus-konservator\/hvalkaebe13-2\/","alt":"","author":"106","description":"","caption":"","name":"hvalkaebe13-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":188602,"date":"2026-03-04 13:15:54","modified":"2026-03-04 13:32:44","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2560,"height":1706,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe13-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe13-480x320.jpg","medium-width":480,"medium-height":320,"medium_large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe13-768x512.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe13-1280x853.jpg","large-width":1280,"large-height":853,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe13-1536x1024.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe13-2048x1365.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1365,"featured-soft":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe13-290x193.jpg","featured-soft-width":290,"featured-soft-height":193,"featured-hard":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe13-290x180.jpg","featured-hard-width":290,"featured-hard-height":180,"narrow":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe13-700x467.jpg","narrow-width":700,"narrow-height":467,"extended":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe13-990x660.jpg","extended-width":990,"extended-height":660}},"style":"full","text_placement":"metadata-below","image_link_url":"","image_link_title":"","caption_prefix":"","enable_alternative_caption":true,"alternative_caption":"The vast collection at the Natural History Museum of Denmark contains around 14 million objects."},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>Around the dissection room are bones that are several years old. They still slowly \u2018drip\u2019 small amounts of fat and oil.<\/p>\n<p>The whales\u2019 enormous quantities of blubber and oil, which seep into the bones during the cleaning process, make them among the most difficult skeletons to prepare neatly.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbIt\u2019s difficult to plan my work because animals are constantly arriving,\u00ab says Mikkel H\u00f8egh Post. He describes how the work is interrupted when five wolves from Jutland suddenly arrive, or a young hippopotamus, a crocodile from a zoo, or six lower jaws from stranded sperm whales.<\/p>\n<h3>Enormous collection<\/h3>\n<p>Only a few of the many bones and teeth that are cleaned in the dissection room are displayed in the museum. But they all become part of the collection.<\/p>\n<p>\u00bbThe public sees only the very tip of the iceberg. But the collection is what we are here for,\u00ab says Daniel Johansson.<\/p>\n<p>If the exhibition contains a thousand objects, the collection contains millions. It is here that researchers can follow trends over time, examine variation in populations, and measure the effects of environment, hunting, and pollution.<\/p>\n<p>Using the material, scientists can conduct DNA and isotope analyses, investigate diseases, and measure differences in sex, size, and age. Teeth and skulls are particularly valuable, as they can reveal both diet and age and are crucial for identifying species in several groups of animals.<\/p>\n<p>This is the reason why the museum does not collect only what is immediately relevant. Decades from now, new methods and new questions may turn even an old whale jaw into a key to knowledge that we do not yet realise we are missing.<\/p>\n<p>After the University Post\u2019s visit, Mikkel H\u00f8egh Post begins the cleaning process itself: The largest chunks of meat and cartilage are removed, the order of the teeth is marked, and the jaws are submerged in water. After repeated water changes, heating, and scrubbing, the bones are dried before finally finding their permanent place in the collection.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article was first written in Danish and published on 4 March 2026. It has been translated into English and post-edited by Mike Young.<\/em><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Image","image":{"ID":188598,"id":188598,"title":"Hvalk\u00e6be1","filename":"hvalkaebe1-scaled.jpg","filesize":965008,"url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe1-scaled.jpg","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/fra-strand-til-samling-kaskelotkaeber-er-havnet-i-haenderne-paa-kus-konservator\/hvalkaebe1-2\/","alt":"","author":"106","description":"","caption":"","name":"hvalkaebe1-2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":188602,"date":"2026-03-04 13:17:12","modified":"2026-03-04 13:32:44","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2560,"height":1707,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe1-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe1-480x320.jpg","medium-width":480,"medium-height":320,"medium_large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe1-768x512.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":512,"large":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe1-1280x853.jpg","large-width":1280,"large-height":853,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe1-1536x1024.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":1024,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe1-2048x1365.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":1365,"featured-soft":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe1-290x193.jpg","featured-soft-width":290,"featured-soft-height":193,"featured-hard":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe1-290x180.jpg","featured-hard-width":290,"featured-hard-height":180,"narrow":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe1-700x467.jpg","narrow-width":700,"narrow-height":467,"extended":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe1-990x660.jpg","extended-width":990,"extended-height":660}},"style":"full","text_placement":"metadata-below","image_link_url":"","image_link_title":"","caption_prefix":"","enable_alternative_caption":true,"alternative_caption":"Daniel Johansson (left) and Mikkel H\u00f8egh Post show us the bones in the dissection room."},{"acf_fc_layout":"ArticleEnd"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Newsletter","lang_select":"en","identifier":"Newsletter","headline":"Get an email with upcoming events and top University of Copenhagen stories","button_text":"Sign up here","class":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"OtherStories","headline":"","hand_picked_posts":false,"references":false,"category":false,"theme":false,"number_of_posts":"4","style":"default"}]},"taxonomyData":{"category":[{"term_id":46,"name":"Science","slug":"science","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":46,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":831,"filter":"raw"}],"post_tag":[],"post_format":[],"expression":[{"term_id":14,"name":"Portrait Article","slug":"portrait_article","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":14,"taxonomy":"expression","description":"","parent":0,"count":797,"filter":"raw"}],"translation_priority":[{"term_id":5468,"name":"Optional","slug":"optional-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":5468,"taxonomy":"translation_priority","description":"","parent":0,"count":672,"filter":"raw"}]},"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/hvalkaebe8-1280x853.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=188618"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":188633,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188618\/revisions\/188633"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/188582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=188618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=188618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=188618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}