The newborn died over two years ago on Waita Beach but had been kept frozen till leading scientist Stephen Raverty was available. Some results so far has shown that the young whale had not starved to death and had simply got separated from its mother just after birth and swept on to the beach. It was still alive where it was battered by the waves, causing heavy bruising to its head and side.

Dr Raverty, a veterinary pathologist who flew to Wellington specially for the dissection, said that on average, opportunities such as this one was rare as there are only one orca autopsy a year. Samples have been sent to labs in Canada and the United States where it is hoped that DNA analysis will reveal which pod the baby came from.

There are thought to be fewer than 200 orca living in New Zealand waters, some of which have been genetically sampled. Until the 1990s little was known about these marine mammals in New Zealand waters, whether any were resident around the coast, or whether they simply passed through when migrating to breeding or feeding areas elsewhere. However, as a result of the preliminary DNA analysis, it is now established that there are probably three resident populations in New Zealand: one off the North Island, one off the South Island, and a third group that spends its time in both regions. They are protected in New Zealand waters under the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978, which is administered by the Department of Conservation.

The orca's skeleton will go into Te Papa's collection.