Usually whale carcasses are disposed of by the landowner but scientists, who hold a licence from Natural England, are allowed to take animal bones for scientific and educational purposes if permission is granted.<\/p>\n
“There is so much to be done to improve the state of the natural environment,” Prof McDonald added.<\/p>\n
“There’s a big global commitment to preserve and effectively manage about 30% of the sea by 2030 and we’ve got a long way to go.”<\/p>\n
He said the whale’s skull was a “gargantuan reminder of what we can do to improve the marine environment”.<\/p>\n
Part of the research on the bones would also be to see whether the process of decomposition in the soil had cleaned them of any remaining tissue, he added.<\/p>\n