
Humpback whale found dead on the seaside.
The marine experts still don’t have an answer for the mistery of the marine creatures found dead on the beach, in Seaside, Oregon, last week.
The tragic event implies the death of no less than five marine creatures: a young Humpback whale, a harbor porpoise and three striped dolphins – all within 48 hours.
According to Keith Chandler, the manager of Seaside Aquarium, the 24-foot humpback whale that was among the five marine mammals that washed ashore last weekend, was moved on Monday to another part of the beach just south of 12th Avenue.
The whale was moved by a team of marine experts from Portland State University and the Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network.
It’s not exactly common to see five dead creatures washing up on the beaches of the Oregon coast all at once, but it isn’t strange either. The marine experts state that this unfortunate news cannot be regarded as highly unusual or alarming.
Now, the main questions remain: What killed these animals? What caused the death of them? Is anyone going to make a research regarding this mistery, trying to find a legit answer?
As an answer to that, the marine experts sustain that a necropsy would reveal the main causes of the deaths and that they are collecting samples, as we speak.
Chandler adds that the reason why the whale and the other creatures washed up can usually just be attributed to large surf conditions. “Things die out there, and then sometimes they simply wash up in bunches because of what’s happening with the waves.” – he says.
The expert also explained that the deaths could be disease-related, or another issue. But then again, there were no obvious signs of trauma.
Another theory that Chandler supports is that it is strongly possible that the poor animals got caught in a net.
However, nothing is certain until the results of the necropsy will arrive.
In the meantime, the whale will be buried in the sand by Seaside city crews. While the creature is still there, on the beach, Chandler urged the public not to touch it or to let dogs near it. There is a big chance that the whale has bacteria on it.
As reported by The Daily Astorian, a good team from Portland State University and the Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network will take the case and they will conduct a detailed necropsy, in order to determine what caused this tragic event.
The team will collect samples, take measurements and photos as they study the dead animals.
Afterwards, these samples will be sent to PSU for further study.
Image Source: lintvkoin.files.wordpress.com