The whale measures 8 feet in length. Pygmy and dwarf sperm whales ___ in deep, offshore waters, making it difficult to study them in their natural environment. They inhabit temperate and tropical oceans and are smaller than other types of whales.
JUPITER — The depths of the Atlantic paid a visit to the beaches of Palm Beach County last week when an 8-foot whale washed up on the shore just south of Carlin Park.
People who work with the Stewards, Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue and the Jupiter Police Department moved the whale into a van and took it to Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton .
There, scientists will conduct a necropsy — an animal autopsy — on the whale. The Stewards said they hope the investigation will better inform them about whale health and the challenges these mammals are facing in the wild.
The Stewards said they had not confirmed the whale's exact species, but its scientists think it is a pygmy or dwarf sperm whale. These types of whales live in deep, offshore waters. This makes them difficult to study in their natural environment, according to the release.
These whales live in temperate and tropical oceans and are on the smaller side when compared to others. All told, there are an estimated 300,000 sperm whales left worldwide.
No comments:
Post a Comment