Newswise — A rare dense beaked whale, also known as Blainville's whale, is currently being studied by scientists and students at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
The 14 foot adult male whale, discovered washed up on a beach near Kure Beach Wednesday morning, Jan. 28, was moved to the university by UNCW's Marine Mammal Stranding Program Coordinator Bill McLellan where he and UNCW Professor of Biological Sciences Dr. Ann Pabst are conducting a necropsy to discover cause of death.
Strandings of dense beaked whales are extremely rare. As reported by the Wilmington Star-News, only 47 dense beaked whales have been recorded in the United States in the past 200 years and only three adult males have been found in North Carolina. James Mead, curator of marine mammals at the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum called the find a "real biological treasure trove."
The rarity of research on the dense beaked whale is because it is a deep water species. Pabst observed, "It is a deep diver that feeds on organisms found in the deep ocean. This is an animal that is really out of its element, and can tell us about the deep ocean."
A necropsy, or animal autopsy, was performed to study the animal and to determine the cause of death. Pabst stated that the animal appeared in robust body condition and was free of parasites, and the necropsy didn't reveal an obvious cause of death. Tissue samples were collected for researchers at UNCW, North Carolina State University, Emory University, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Smithsonian Institute, and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.
The skull is being frozen and sent to Woods Hole, where 3-D imaging of the brain and head will look for signs of trauma, and will help to determine if there was acoustic damage. This species is potentially impacted by Navy sonar, but detailed medical imaging is necessary for an accurate determination. After the research has been completed the entire skull and skeleton will be donated to the Smithsonian.
Pabst said it appears that the whale was alive when it came ashore, and marks on the dorsal fin may have been caused by thrashing on the beach before dying. But she noted that despite all of the extensive tests, we ultimately may never know why this animal perished.
The Marine Mammal Stranding Team stressed the importance of having a community network where volunteers and officials from Kure Beach and North Carolina Aquarium helped to transport the animal to the laboratory at UNCW. There have been dozens of student interactions, and some professors have brought their classes to observe the rare find.
Pabst said, "When students have an opportunity to see an organism that they're likely never to see again, to touch and interact with, it's an event that helps raise interest and enthusiasm. It's a rare situation for students to see biologists and professors around the region get excited as well."
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