The thief is described as a man, 40 to 50 years old, dressed in black leather, wearing a dark coat, carrying an 8 foot long whale tooth. The man was also reportedly walking a white dog. He allegedly stole the tooth from a museum in Stavanger, Norway. The tooth is said to be more than 100 years old and is valued at around $9,300.
The story, as it has been reported, raises more questions than it answers. Exactly how does one walks out of a museum with an eight foot long whale’s tooth without being noticed? What variety of whale has an eight foot long tooth? Sperm whales, the largest of the toothed whales, typically have teeth around 7 inches long. Was the stolen “whale tooth” a narwhal tusk, perhaps? Thanks to Irwin Bryan for passing the article along.