A rare chance to carry out an autopsy on a baby orca could reveal more about the species and the health of the ocean environment.

The newborn died in 2007 soon after it was washed on to Waita Beach, 10 kilometres north of Haast in Westland. It had been kept frozen till Canadian scientist Stephen Raverty was available.

This week he and other scientists met in Wellington to photograph and dissect the orca at Te Papa's Tory St laboratory. Te Papa marine mammal expert Anton van Helden said that slicing into the orca's blubber layer was like "cutting into butter". The layer was thick, meaning the orca had not starved to death.

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