LONDON A 12ft-long sperm whale skull that has been donated to science is twice as long as the researchers who will study it, but a mere tiddler among its own kind.

Had the skull’s owner, a juvenile male, lived to old age – 70 years or more – it would have stretched to about 20 feet (6m).

The one-tonne skull is being held at one of the Natural History Museum’s collection stores in South London where scientists are able to study the remains of 2,482 large mammals. The specimens, which include blue whales, have been collected from around the world and date back to as far as the 16th century. Another storage room at the centre contains samples from more than 12,000 smaller creatures.

“Every specimen has a story,” said Richard Sabin, the museum’s curator of mammals. “Some of the species have been wrestled from the jaws of prey by zoologists or exchanged for a bottle of whisky with locals.”

Specimens include the whale that swam up the Thames last year, a white tiger that belonged to George V and two of London Zoo’s best known denizens, Guy the gorilla and Chia-Chia the panda. Some were collected or preserved by David Livingstone and Charles Darwin.

Times Recommends

• Computer warriors pay for far-away mercenaries
• Divorce rate falls to 26-year low
• Boris adviser says Olympians tainted with blood