'Kilchoan Early Bird' has just sent in these photographs of a whale washed up on one of the beaches at Sanna. The whale is about 5m long, and 'KEB' reckons that it's been dead for three weeks, so it's not in a pretty condition.
The bulbous head and gaps where the teeth used to be suggest it's a Pilot Whale. The species which is most common in North Atlantic waters is the long-finned Pilot Whale Globicephala melas. What with the finding of the trigger fish (post here), this has been an exciting week along the Sanna beaches.More about Pilot Whales here.
I now understand that the whale has been on the beach for two weeks or more.
ReplyDeleteHow often do they do this and why ???
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've read, little is understood about why whales beach, though there are suggestions that human activity, such as the use of sonar by naval ships, could be a contributary factor. However, for this one it might be quite simply that he/she was old.
ReplyDelete