by Alexander Mildener, staff reporter
Breezy Point residents were shocked to find a beached 60ft long Fin Whale on their backyard.
Marine Biologist Julika Wocial said, “the Fin Whale was badly emaciated. You could make out its ribs, and many of its bones. The whale should have weighed at least 60 tons, but it was only half that mass. It was obvious that the whale hadn’t eaten for several months. We are not sure why.”
According to Fire Fighters Nation, Firefighters attempted to save the whale.They constantly poured water all over its body. A whale’s skin must be hydrated at all times. They are extremely vulnerable to sunburn. However, despite their best attempts to save the whale, it could no longer cling on to its life.
The press apparently misreported important information. For example in various articles reporters stated that the Fin Whale was a Sperm Whale. They also stated that the Fin Whale was pregnant and died from propellor wounds.
Wocial said, “The Whale was definitely not pregnant and never could be, considering it was a male. So far, we found no evidence that human interaction played any part in the cause of death.”
According to Wocial, superviser of the Riverhead Foundation, the Riverhead Foundation is conducting a necropsy to determine the cause of death more specifically and find out why the whale wasn’t eating. After the necropsy, the whale will be cut up into several parts and will be buried underneath the sand dunes.
“We can’t tow it out to sea because otherwise the carcass will wash on another beach. We can’t fit the entire whale in the sand dunes so that’s why we have to cut it up. There’s not many options,” says Wocial.
No one is sure why whales beach themselves. This is when whales and dolphins strand themselves on the shoreline. Some say that they have a geographic map implanted in their minds and it eventually breaks down causing the whale to beach itself.
Other’s say that its a form of suicide. There is a scientific theory that whale sonar intermingled with boat sonar, causing the whale to travel off course.
A whale’s body is supported by water in the ocean. On land, its lungs are crushed by their own body weight. Eventually, the whale suffocates and dies.
— Facts —
Fin Whales are offshore animals and rarely travel close to shore. It is a very rare occurrence for a Fin Whale to beach itself.
The Fin Whale is one of the largest whales, second only to the Blue. They can grow to be 80 ft long and can weigh up to 160,000 pounds.
There are approximately 30,000 Fin Whales found in Atlantic Waters. The total population is estimated to be between 100,000-120,000 animals.
Fin Whales are among the fastest animals in the ocean are called “the greyhounds of the sea.”
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