Fin Whale Washed Up On Oregon Beach
On Monday, a massive fin whale washed up on Oregon beach. The 46-foot-long fin whale was entangled, emaciated, and wounded, likely by another whale. The rake marks on the whale are most likely from killer whales. This is when they use their teeth to sink into other whales. It can be seen as rough play or aggression towards the other whale.
NOAA Fisheries West Coast discovered the whale on Monday by Sunset Beach State Park. This is the first fin whale to have washed ashore in ten years in the area. The team urged the public not to come near or touch the whale. “Our best chance of learning what happened to this endangered species is to examine the carcass, but any disturbance or interaction with the carcass compromises that opportunity.”
On Tuesday the team released the gasses trapped inside the whale so that it does not explode. A necropsy was also performed on the animal so that the team could determine the underlying cause of the sick whale. In a few weeks, the pathology results will be complete.
Fin Whale Washed Up on Beach
We should all have more details on what caused the poor animal to suffer and wash ashore. In most cases, the pollution in our ocean is the results. Ingesting a lot of plastic and not being able to eat or digest food, causes the animal to lose weight and become sick. Fin whales are filter eaters. They open their mouth to catch krill, small fish, and squid. Fin whales filter their prey with keratin-based baleen rather than teeth. Floating bags in the ocean might look like squid, leading this whale to false food.
This male whale will stay where it has died. Seaside Aquarium spokesperson Tiffany Boothe said that the whale is a great “nutrient boost.” She goes on to say “It (fin whale) provides a lot of food for eagles and other scavengers.”
Fin whales are a form of baleen whales and there are estimated to be only 11,000 in the Northeast Pacific region. These incredible whales can grow to be 85 feet long and can live a hundred years. Since the fin whale that washed up ashore in Oregon was only 46 feet long, we can assume it wasn’t done growing or living out to its full potential age and size.
