The plastinated specimen of a sperm whale, which died after being stranded in Rudong county in 2016, is under production and is expected to be sent back to Rudong in 2020. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

The sperm whale which died after being stranded in Rudong county, Nantong, Jiangsu province, in 2016 is being turned into a plastinated specimen in Dalian, Liaoning province, and will be sent back to Rudong in 2020.

The sperm whale was 14.88 meters long and its tail was 3.8 meters wide. It weighed about 40 metric tons, with one of its lungs weighing around 600 kilograms.

It is the first sperm whale to be plastinated and is the world's largest plastinated specimen. So far, 70 percent of the work has been completed after the three years.

As the most advanced technology in the world to protect biological specimens, plastination can preserve the original appearance of animals and also showcase their interior structures. 

The specimen will showcase different features of the sperm whale, with the left part of its body presenting the deep layers and the right part presenting the outer layer.

Plastinated specimens can be kept for hundreds or even thousands of years, leading to these specimens being called "present-day mummies".

Accordingly, the team making the specimen encountered some difficulties during the process and has broken several world records. To date, the specimen has been granted six invention patents.

The detailed information about the whole process of making this plastinated sperm whale specimen will be recorded, from finding and salvaging the whale to producing and transporting the specimen.

A museum is expected to be established to store the plastinated sperm whale specimen and also promote the protection of cultural inheritance and natural landscapes around the Yellow Sea.