No doubt there were certain parties preparing "unidentified sea monster washes ashore" -they probably still will!
Walesonline
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/rare-endangered-70ft-sea-creature-113713022.html
Credit:Marine Environmental Monitoring
The remains of a giant sea creature found on the Welsh coast
was a "very large" fin whale, researchers have confirmed. Second only
in size to the blue whale, it was only the fourth confirmed report of a fin
whale washing up in
One visitor was left shocked on Wednesday morning, September
3, to see what she believed to be the corpse of a whale washed up on the sands
of
Initial assessments indicate a female and suggest its size was almost 70ft (21m). Staff from ocean watchdog Marine Environmental Monitoring (MEM) were astounded by its size when they visited the beach the day after its discovery on Wednesday morning (September 3).
Its head alone was over 16ft (5m) in length and around 8ft
(2.5m) wide. In an update, MEM said: “Unfortunately, it had been dead for some
time and as a result was in a bad state of decomposition.
“We believe that this one is a female but due to the state of decomposition we couldn’t confirm this. We have taken several samples from the whale which will be tested for various things including contaminates and to carry out genetics.”
Previously, whales stranded on the Welsh coast have often been found to be malnourished or affected by pollution such as plastic waste.
Fin whales are a protected species and are the world's second biggest mammals after blue whales. The WWF conservation group says the fin whale is found in most oceans, but the species has been severely impacted by commercial whaling.
"Nearly 750,000 animals were killed in areas of the Southern Hemisphere alone between 1904 and 1979, and they are rarely seen there today," WWF said on its website.
"Their current status is unknown in most areas outside
of the
Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Leisure, Culture and Tourism, Cllr Hazel Evans: "Sadly, we are aware of a deceased fin whale washed ashore at the western end of Cefn Sidan beach, approximately four and a half miles from the main beach access.
"As fin whales are a rare and vulnerable species, samples have been removed for analysis at the London Zoological Society which is standard procedure during discoveries of such rare whales.
"Following advice from the UK Cetacean Strandings Programme, due its size (estimated to be 30 to 40 tonnes) and its remote location on the beach, there are currently no plans to intervene in the natural processes which will return nutrients to the environment.
"We would advise members of the public, particularly
children and dogs, to avoid contact with the whale due to its greasy
consistency."
One of the whale's jaw bones -Credit:Marine Environmental Monitoring
Though Marine experts say fin whales are increasingly returning to Welsh waters. Research by the Sea Trust indicate pods are now swimming off the Pembrokeshire coast each year.
Wednesday’s discovery was the second of the week involving a
whale. On Monday, September 1, a long-finned pilot whale was found on
It was still alive. Members of public tried to get the whale back to the sea but it was too heavy and they were unable to move it. Coastguards and volunteers from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) were alerted but the animal died before they got there.
The carcase was recovered for the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP), and a full post-mortem will be carried out.
MEM is urging people to report stranded marine animals to CSIP on 0800 652 0333. Select option 1 if the animal is still alive (this directs you to BDMLR). Otherwise select option 2 and follow the instructions.
No comments:
Post a Comment