More sperm whales found dead - this time on a German beach

The whales were young bulls around the same age as 12 other sperm whales found dead in recent weeks at various North Sea spots

By AFP

12:34PM GMT 02 Feb 2016

Eight dead sperm whales have washed up on a German beach, just weeks after 12 of the giant mammals were found dead at other sites on the North Sea, officials said on Monday.

The eight whales found near the northern town of Friedrichskoog were young bulls, around the same age as the animals discovered three weeks ago at various North Sea spots.

They were lying close to each other in the mudflats of a restricted area of the Wadden Sea national park, the Schleswig-Holstein regional environmental authority said in a statement.

Since the 1990s, a total of 82 sperm wales have been found stranded in the Wadden Sea in Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany.

The sperm whale is the largest of the toothed whales, and the largest toothed predator.

It can measure up to 67 feet (20 metres) long and weigh over 50 tonnes.

"The males of this population spend their winters in the north Atlantic," the authority said.

"During their migrations, individual animals mistakenly wind up in the shallow and nutrient-poor North Sea."

The shallow water makes it difficult for them to use their acoustic orientation to navigate and many become beached.

Wildlife protection groups also blame the underwater noise from sea traffic and oil platforms for interfering with acoustic signals.

Continued ...

Beached 44ft whale dies on Redcar beach

The mammal died despite hopes it would survive until the tide went out

31 May 2011

A 44ft (13m) long whale has died three hours after becoming stranded on a beach on Teesside.

Police alerted the RNLI after spotting the 20 tonne stricken mammal on Redcar Beach, just after 0620 BST.

A rescue bid started which involved trying to keep the adult sperm whale wet until high tide but it died.

Richard Ilderton, of British Divers Marine Life Rescue, said the North Sea was not a suitable environment for such a large creature.

RSPCA officers were involved in the rescue attempt, along with those from the Coastguard and Cleveland Fire Brigade, while RSPCA vets assessed the mammal's condition.

An RNLI spokesman said: "We don't know the reasons but usually when they get to this situation the conclusion is that they don't survive.

"A post mortem will be carried out on the whale and then it will be up to the local council to dispose of it."

'Becomes malnourished'

Crowds went to the beach to see the whale.

Redcar and Cleveland Council said cordons had been put up around the whale, which is due to remain on the beach overnight, watched by security guards.

Mr Ilderton said: "While we have whales in the North Sea, it is not a suitable environment for a sperm whale because the food supply is not there.

"It doesn't eat, it becomes malnourished, it becomes dehydrated because whales do not drink - they get their liquid from their food.

"It can cause all sorts of health problems and ultimately results in something like this happening."

He said the whale's death might actually have been the best outcome.

"If we were able to put the animal back out to sea, all we would be doing is putting it back out to starve, which is massively cruel and against what we want to do," he said.

Robbie Marsland, UK Director of International Fund for Animal Welfare, said whales stranded for a variety of reasons.

He said: "While it is not possible to pinpoint the cause in every case, we do know that human activity in the seas is increasing the threats to these highly intelligent and complex marine mammals.

"Manmade ocean noise, from shipping, oil and gas excavation and naval sonar, makes it ever harder for whales to navigate, communicate, find food or mates and avoid prey."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-13601654
(Submitted by Liz R)

Huge sperm whale washes up on Kent beach

3 March 2011 Last updated at 21:48

A 45ft (13.7m) sperm whale has died after becoming stranded on a beach in Kent.

Coastguards were alerted to the beached whale at Pegwell Bay, between Ramsgate and Sandwich, at about 0730 GMT.

Claudia Sermbezis reports.

Read More

Whale dies stranded on Kent beach

See video at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12642695
(Submitted by Dawn Holloway)

80-Foot Pregnant Whale Washes Up in California

Lauren Frayer

(Oct. 7) -- Hundreds of hikers, scientists and schoolkids are flocking to a northern California beach to see the carcass of an 80-foot pregnant blue whale that washed ashore last weekend after apparently colliding with a ship.

The dead whale and its fetus washed up Saturday on a rocky beach in Bean Hollow State Park near Pescadero. It's believed to be the first time in more than 30 years that a blue whale -- the world's largest known creature -- has washed up on U.S. shores.

Researchers collecting tissue and bone samples from the whale's 75-ton carcass concluded Wednesday that it died of blunt-force trauma, likely in a collision with a large boat, the Half Moon Bay Review reported.

"Because the whale was on its back, we couldn't tell anything as far as possible cause of death," Guy Oliver, a research fellow at the nearby Long Marine Lab, told the Santa Cruz Sentinel. "I'd say it probably died four to five days (before reaching the shore). The fetus was about 50 feet from the carcass, and most likely came out, after it died, from a discharge of gas pressure."

Even the whale's fetus is 17 feet long.

Adult blue whales can grow to 110 feet. "Its heart is probably the size and weight of a Volkswagen Beetle," Oliver told the newspaper.

Tourists out for a weekend stroll along the seaside in Bean Hollow State Park got a surprise last weekend when they discovered the whale's corpse. "I literally had to step back a few feet and say 'Oh my gosh! This isn't real!'" park visitor Marcia Yaw told local KTVU TV station.

Park ranger Frank Balthis said it's the first time he's ever seen a blue whale. "And what really is incredible is there's the fetus of a calf. It's one of the first times that's ever been seen," he told the same station.

One visitor left a bouquet of blue and white flowers next to the whale's body. Dozens of cars have been parked illegally and traffic is backed up along nearby U.S. Highway 1 as onlookers try to get a glimpse of the behemoth.

"Well, it's just so special," visitor Yvonne Bartel told KTVU. "It's sad ... and yet it's awesome."

http://www.aolnews.com/weird-news/article/80-foot-pregnant-whale-washes-up-in-california/19664468