14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier this week, the dead body of a very rare beaked whale washed ashore in Australia. The marine mammal's body was discovered on a beach not far from Sydney early Tuesday morning, and photos of it have since gone viral.
Wildlife researchers explain that, unlike other whales and marine mammals that people are quite familiar with, beaked whales live at a considerable distance from the shoreline. Besides, they populate waters in the deep ocean.
Because of these whales' choice of habitat, it very rarely happens for humans to cross paths with them. Hence, whenever one ends up ashore, be it alive or dead, it sparks quite a lot of interest, as evidenced by the fact that Australia's newly found specimen is now making headlines.
So, what's the deal with this beaked whale?
The dead beaked whale was found in the early hours of the morning by a volunteer working with a local marine wildlife organization dubbed ORRCA (the Organization for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia).
At the time it was discovered, the marine mammal's corpse was simply lying on a beach located at a distance of about 93 miles (about 150 kilometers) north of Sydney. The whale is estimated to measure 10 to 13 feet (3 to 4 meters) in length.
Seeing how the marine mammal shows no signs of external injuries, the specialists who have until now had the chance to examine its body cannot say for sure how and why it died. All things considered, it is possible that the animal died of something as simple as old age.
Then again, it is also possible that, before passing away and washing ashore, the rare beaked whale struggled with internal problems that eventually proved fatal. An autopsy is expected to help solve this puzzle.
“There were no obvious signs of injuries, it could be old age or internal problems. We don't know at the moment,” Ronny Ling with marine wildlife organization ORRCA explained in a statement concerning this incident.
What's going to happen to the whale?
As detailed by Huffington Post, volunteers with ORRCA wish to remove the beaked whale's body from the beach where it is now lying on the sand and have it sent to the Australian Museum in Sydney. Here, scientists will study it and will hopefully gain a better understanding of these marine mammals.
Due to the fact that beaked whales live far out in the ocean and at considerable depths, their bodies more often than not end up on the sea floor following their death. Consequently, wildlife researchers don't very often get the chance to study these creatures.
“For a very, very long time not much has been known about them and so every time we even find one that is dead on the beach, it is a treasure trove for the scientists,” Shona Lorigan with ORRCA commented on the discovery of this beaked whale corpse in Australia.
