One of the greatest things about living in Corolla is the wildlife that we get to be “up close and personal” with. I have become quite interested in the marine mammals that live in our coastal waters. These include dolphins, seals, and whales. Since I live in Carova Beach, my drive to work includes ten miles of beach driving. On my way to work yesterday, I came across a stranded Pygmy Sperm Whale. At first glance it looked like a dolphin, but the nose was distinctly different. Pygmy sperm whales are one of three species of toothed whales. The teeth are set into the lower jaw. Not too attractive!
A biologist from the Aquarium was there so I asked her if I could help in any way. She said yes, she could use some help keeping the whale sternal so it could breathe through it’s blowhole. The whale was situated parallel to the beach so every wave wanted to roll her over. While we attempted to get her perpendicular to the wave action I noticed A LOT of what appeared to be blood in the water. I starting thinking “Hmmm, we may be attracting every shark in the Atlantic!”. I expressed my concern to the biologist who quickly explained to me the Pygmy Sperm Whales like to eat squid and they have a gland where the ink is stored. When frightened or stressed they excrete the ink as a deterrent to predators. Whew!!
Unfortunately, shortly after that the whale died. The biologists would be coming with a flatbed truck so that a necropsy could be perform back at the research center. Since these whales are rarely seen in the sea, a post-mortem examination is a valuable teaching tool for us to learn more about them. Not too much is known about their range and distribution so hopefully this animal will help to increase our knowledge about the creatures of the sea.
A biologist from the Aquarium was there so I asked her if I could help in any way. She said yes, she could use some help keeping the whale sternal so it could breathe through it’s blowhole. The whale was situated parallel to the beach so every wave wanted to roll her over. While we attempted to get her perpendicular to the wave action I noticed A LOT of what appeared to be blood in the water. I starting thinking “Hmmm, we may be attracting every shark in the Atlantic!”. I expressed my concern to the biologist who quickly explained to me the Pygmy Sperm Whales like to eat squid and they have a gland where the ink is stored. When frightened or stressed they excrete the ink as a deterrent to predators. Whew!!
Unfortunately, shortly after that the whale died. The biologists would be coming with a flatbed truck so that a necropsy could be perform back at the research center. Since these whales are rarely seen in the sea, a post-mortem examination is a valuable teaching tool for us to learn more about them. Not too much is known about their range and distribution so hopefully this animal will help to increase our knowledge about the creatures of the sea.
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