Story Published: Jan 4, 2010 at 2:24 PM PDT
Photo courtesy Tiffany Boothe/Seaside Aquarium
CANNON BEACH, Ore. (AP) — A baby whale washed ashore in Cannon Beach during New Year's weekend.
A research team from Portland State University performed a necropsy Sunday, but did not immediately determine the cause of death.
"There were some signs that something traumatic occurred, and there were some signs of illness," said Dr. Debbie Duffield, biology professor from Portland State University.
The 15-foot long female, which apparently washed ashore on Saturday, was less decayed than other sperm whales that have been found here in recent years, giving researchers a good opportunity for study.
"It gives us a chance to know something more about a species we don't know much about," Duffield said. "It's an insight into a world we don't see very often."
The whale's heart and a lung were removed during the necropsy, as were tissue samples from the liver, kidney, reproductive tract and lymph nodes. Researchers will look for infections and biotoxins, as well as contaminants, such as PCBs and DDT.
The head also was removed, allowing biology students to study the head's structure and look for bruising and damage to the blow hole. The whale was a "very, very young baby" that might have been only a few weeks or a month old, Duffield said. The whale's umbilical area was still raw, indicating the birth had occurred recently.
Adult female sperm whales could grow to 65 feet, said Tiffany Boothe, of the Seaside Aquarium, who helped perform the necropsy.
Some pus in the whale's lung indicated an infection may have been present, Boothe said. There was some air in the lung, so the whale "probably took at least one breath" and was not stillborn, she said.
Information from: The Daily Astorian, http://www.dailyastorian.com
(Copyright 2010 The Associated Press)
Related Content