Baby sperm whale that washed up dead on Welsh beach had sheets of PLASTIC in its stomach, post mortem reveals
- 22ft sperm whale was found washed up at Hell’s Mouth in north Wales this week
- A post-mortem examination has found it died with plastic sheet and ropes inside
- Was only second whale to be washed up in Wales since records began in 1913
A whale washed up on a Welsh beach this week died with a plastic sheet and tangle of ropes in its stomach, a post-mortem examination has revealed.
The 22ft baby sperm whale was found at Hell’s Mouth near Abersoch in north Wales on Tuesday evening before it was pronounced dead.
Investigators have now discovered it had eaten a large amount of rubbish floating in the sea.
It was the first sperm whale to be washed up in Wales since records began in 1913.
The 22ft baby sperm whale was found at Hell’s Mouth near Abersoch in north Wales on Tuesday evening before it was pronounced dead
Rob Deaville, project manager for the Zoological Society of London’s cetacean strandings investigation programme, said: ‘A large piece of blue plastic sheeting was found in the stomach and a relatively large mass of ropes.’
Mr Deaville said: ‘It is not possible to accurately assess whether the ingestion of debris was a result of the whale’s presence in the abnormal habitat of shallow waters around the UK, or if other underlying issues may have played a role in their ingestion.
‘However, it may have had some impact on the animal’s ability to digest any ingested prey.’
The debris had not become impacted to block the stomach. Tests are now being conducted to shed light on this ‘markedly unusual’ out-of-habitat stranding.
The male calf was the second smallest sperm whale ever recorded in the UK.
Experts from the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme and the Zoological Society of London conducted the post-mortem examination.
Investigators have now discovered it had eaten a large amount of rubbish floating in the sea
The calf was ‘malnourished’ – although the debris did not cause a blockage in the animal’s digestive system.
Mr Deaville said the cause of death remains unknown and they are now waiting for the results from a range of tests.
He said: ‘The sperm whale was a 670cm juvenile male who was in moderate to poor nutritional condition, with muscle wastage along the dorsal flanks.
‘There was no evidence of recent feeding, although numerous squid beaks in the stomach indicated it was weaned and had been historically feeding.’
He added: ‘Parasite burdens were found in the stomachs. Evidence of potential underlying issues with the brain were found during the examination.’
Because the whale was so small it is thought it may have come from a matriarchal pod rather than rather than a bachelor pod.
The mother pods are found in warmer and tropical waters south Britain while the male pods are found in colder waters north of the UK.
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