11-foot whale calf found dead off NC beach had party favor stuck in its gut, team says
A whale calf found dead along a popular North Carolina beach appeared to be without any injuries — until marine biologists looked in its gut.
“The collaborative team examined every tissue of this young whale during the necropsy, and all appeared normal until the stomach was opened,” according to the N.C. State University Center for Marine Sciences and Technology.
“In addition to some milk (indicating the female was a nursing calf), a pentagonal plastic balloon was discovered, crumpled up and obstructing the passage of digesta to the rest of the gastrointestinal tract.”
As a result, the team determined that the 10-foot, 9-inch female calf likely starved to death, it was reported.
Beachgoers reported the whale to authorities Oct. 30, after finding it in shallow water off Emerald Isle, an island along North Carolina’s Crystal Coast (south of the Outer Banks), CMAST officials wrote in a Nov. 7 Facebook post. The necropsy was performed the next morning, after the whale was removed from the water and “chilled overnight.”
The cause of death seems all the more tragic when considering how rarely the species is encountered along North Carolina, the center said.
“Beaked whales are large, deep diving marine mammals. Little is known about Gervais’ beaked whale social structure and life history,” CMAST wrote.
“Live sightings are unusual because the normal habitat for these animals is at the continental shelf edge and beyond, and they spend most of their time under water.”
Gervais’ beaked whales can reach 17 feet and 2,640 pounds, and have a life span of up to 48 years, according to NOAA Fisheries. The greatest threats they face in U.S. waters are entanglement in fishing gearand ocean noise, the department says.
Balloons can now be added to that list.
“Though people often release balloons to remember and honor loved ones, we urge people to consider other methods (lighting a candle, scattering flower petals, etc.),” the center said.
“If you do purchase balloons ... please make sure all gases have been removed from balloons prior to discarding. This can avoid them getting ‘loose’ and posing an unnecessary and tragic danger, causing wildlife to starve and perish over time.”
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