Thames Whale Skeleton Part Of New Exhibit

The skeleton of the Thames whale will go on display at the Natural History Museum this weekend.

The Thames whale died in 2006 and its skeleton will go on display

The exhibit at the museum in Tring is being opened to mark the fifth anniversary of the animal's fateful journey into the London river.

The six-metre long creature was first spotted in the Thames on January 19, 2006.

It led to a two-day rescue attempt which was followed around the world.

The attempt ended when the northern bottlenose whale died from dehydration as a barge tried to take it back out to sea.

Thames whale rescue attempt

After its death the whale's skeleton was preserved for study.

The new exhibition will look at how it became stranded in the river, when it should have been in its natural home of the North Atlantic.