A 16.5m-long fin whale, the second largest species of animal in the world, has been found dead on Fistral Beach in Cornwall, UK.
The whale is being autopsied to determine its cause of death and prevent the carcass from exploding. Methane gas produced by the bacterial breakdown of the carcass can accumulate to dangerous levels inside the body.
According to a spokesperson from the Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Marine Strandings Network, the whale had been spotted earlier in the week swimming off Pentire Headland, before being found dead the next morning.
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‘The Cornwall marine pathology team has been given permission to perform a post-mortem in situ,’ said Anthea Hawtrey-Collier, Project Officer for the Marine Strandings Network. ‘The findings should help us understand why this animal died, what the health of our seas are and how these animals are faring in our waters.’
‘Fin whale strandings are still fairly rare but they are being seen more often out at sea off our coast.’
Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) are baleen whales which average between 18.5 and 20 metres (61 and 66ft) in length but have been known to reach more than 25m, weighing upwards of 70 tonnes. They are closely related to the larger blue whales, so much so that inter-species mating resulting in blue/fin whale hybrids has been known to occur.
Named for the striking dorsal fin towards the end of the torso and nicknamed the ‘greyhounds of the sea’ for their ability to swim at speeds of up to 56kph (25mph) fin whales are rarely sighted around the UK, but one or two strandings occur each year.
The cause of death of the Fistral whale is not yet known, however, it appears to be slimmer than it should be for its length, reports from the sighting earlier in the week suggested the animal was swimming ‘uncomfortably’.
‘The whale is in a really poor nutritional state so it’s obviously not a well animal,’ said Hawtrey-Collier, adding that although the death was tragic, the stranding would give scientists an opportunity to lean more about the species.
‘When whales like this die and strand on our beaches it’s a really good way to gather information about these animals and to understand more about the health of our seas.’
If you witness a large animal stranding around the UK, you can report it to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust Marine Strandings Network.
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