Endangered whale’s severely injured body washes ashore in Oregon, video shows
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UPDATE: A necropsy determined that the sperm whale found off the coast of Oregon died from a ship strike, Michael Milstein, a spokesperson for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, said in an email to McClatchy News.
The cause of death was evident based on the internal bleeding found during the examination, Milstein said.
“We also confirmed that the whale was an adult male, about 20 years old, and in good general health,” Milstein said.
The original story is below.
The severely injured body of an endangered whale washed ashore in Oregon, according to an aquarium.
The male sperm whale was found “just south of the Peter Iredale (shipwreck) in Fort Stevens State Park” on Saturday, Jan. 14, according to a Facebook post from Seaside Aquarium.
“The whale had been dead for a while before washing ashore,” according to the aquarium.
Based on its length of about 40 feet, the whale is considered to be fully grown, Michael Milstein, a spokesperson for NOAA Fisheries, said in an email to McClatchy News.
“That is about the typical size of an adult sperm whale,” Milstein said.
The whale looked emaciated, meaning “it was having trouble eating,” Robert Pitman, a marine ecologist at Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute, told The Oregonian.
Based on the “large gashes on the whale,” the aquarium said it may have been struck by a large ship, though it’s unclear if the “strike occurred before or after death.”
The aquarium said a necropsy will be conducted to look more closely at the whale’s cause of death.
“It is a bit unusual to see a sperm whale here this time of year, so that’ll be one of the questions … we’re asking,” Milstein told KPTV.
Video from the aquarium shows the massive carcass sitting on the beach with onlookers snapping photos.
For safety reasons, the public should keep at least 200 feet away from the whale, according to a tweet from the U.S. Coast Guard.
“Please remember to look — but do not touch,” the aquarium said, adding that touching the animal’s body could “spread potential diseases to humans and pets.”
With the help of Oregon State Parks, the aquarium said it removed the whale’s lower jaw “so that the teeth remained intact for scientific purposes.”
When fully grown, male sperm whales can be as long as 60 feet and weigh more than 40 tons, according to the aquarium.
“They have been known to live up to 60 years, with males maturing around the age of 50 at a length of approximately 52 feet,” the aquarium said. “They feed on deep water species, such as squid, sharks, skates, and fish.”
Though the species’ “population is recovering,” sperm whales remain endangered, according to the aquarium.
Fort Stevens State Park is about 100 miles northwest of Portland.
This story was originally published January 16, 2023 at 12:16 PM with the headline "Endangered whale’s severely injured body washes ashore in Oregon, video shows."
