Dissecting the world’s rarest whale – in pictures

Representatives of two Māori tribes, the Ngāi Tahu and Ngāti Wai, with conservation department officials and scientists begin to dissect the beaked whale. Dr Alex Werth (bottom left) examines the gular, or throat, of the male cetacean, while Sophie White and Te Kaurinui Parata start to remove the epaxial muscles, which run alongside the spine and help move body parts such as dorsal fins.

Photograph: Derek Morrison