It all happened a few years ago and I always wanted to show the pictures of this massive carcass removal. I was waiting to hear if the officials had digged out the skeleton, but I couldn’t get any further information. Some pics are from AP, some I don’t know.
The sperm whale is the largest of the toothed whales. Whales washing ashore takes place all over the world. Last year we had a similar incident at the beach here in La Floresta.
Sperm whales are the loudest animal on the planet. At 200plus decibels their clicks can „vibrate you to death“. Whales use those clicks like a sonar (echolocation).
It is arguably an ignoble end for such a majestic creature – but a dead sperm whale that washed ashore on a beach in Uruguay has been hauled away by a truck and dumped in a landfill. The 16,5 meter whale washed ashore in Carrasco, a beach in the capital of Montevideo. Just near of the restored Sofitel Hotel and Casino.
While other countries prefer to use explosives to remove such large carcasses, dozens of navy officials and rescuers used excavators to drag the marine mammal weighing up to twenty six tons to shore.
A crane lifted the whale’s remains onto a truck. Hundreds of curious onlookers gathered to look at the animal despite an overpowering smell hanging over the beach in the residential Montevideo neighborhood. Normally at home in deep waters, after it beached due to unknown reasons.
Officials say the whale showed no signs of injuries and likely lost its bearings.
Dozens of Navy officials and rescuers used excavators to remove the marine mammal for burial in the landfill. Traffic tied up in the area as curious locals stopped to watch and catch a glimpse of the unusual sight.
The removal and burial of the body of the whale ran aground on Carrasco Beach were estimated at a cost of over US $ 20,000. Not included the petrol, working and overtime wages. The plan is in two years to dug up the remains and try to reconstruct the skeleton. Haven’t heard that this was done already.
The operation, which began on Saturday and ended Sunday, with more than 50 municipal officers and naval personnel, National Naval Prefecture, Prefecture Trouville, army and police to Montevideo was a massive organization and commitment.
Final rest-place in a dump-hole.
About the Sperm Whale.
Sperm whales are easily recognized by their massive heads and prominent rounded foreheads. Following information is partly used from National Geographic.
Sperm whales‘ heads are filled with a mysterious substance called spermaceti.
Scientists have yet to understand its function, but believe it may help the animal regulate its buoyancy.
Oil from the spermaceti organ.
Spermaceti and Diving Capabilities.
They have the largest brain of any creature known to have lived on Earth. Their heads also hold large quantities of a substance called spermaceti. Whalers once believed that the oily fluid was sperm, but scientists still do not understand the function of spermaceti. One common theory is that the fluid – which hardens to wax when cold – helps the whale alter its buoyancy so it can dive deep and rise again. Sperm whales are known to dive as deep as 1.500 meters (almost 5000 feet) in search of squid to eat. These giant mammals must hold their breath for up to 90 minutes on such dives.
The Giant Squid is and was always good for a story. Whale fighting giant squid in the deep sea.
These toothed whales eat thousands of pounds of fish and squid—about one ton per day. The pressure at that depth increases about one atmosphere for every 10 meters of water depth. At a depth of 1.500 meters the pressure will be approximately 150 atmospheres or 100 times greater than the pressure at sea level. That’s a lot !
Very social animal. They like to travel in groups, but diving for food they each go their own way.
Whale Pods and Behavior.
Sperm whales are often spotted in groups (called pods) of some 15 to 20 animals. Pods include females and their young, while males may roam solo or move from group to group. Females and calves remain in tropical or subtropical waters all year long, and apparently practice communal childcare. Males migrate to higher latitudes, alone or in groups, and head back towards the equator to breed. Driven by their tale fluke, approximately 16 feet from tip to tip, they can cruise the oceans at around 37 kilometers (23 miles) per hour.
Some sperm whale facts. Click on pictures !
These popular leviathans are vocal and emit a series of “clangs” that may be used for communication or for echolocation. Animals that use echolocation emit sounds that travel underwater until they encounter objects, then bounce back to their senders – revealing the location, size, and shape of their target. A perfect working natural sonar system.
The biggest business for centuries.
Whaling Target.
Sperm whales were mainstays of whaling’s 18th and 19th century heyday. A mythical albino sperm whale was immortalized in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, though Ahab’s nemesis was apparently based on a real animal whalers called Mocha Dick.
Moby Dick, the White Whale.
The animals were targeted for oil and ambergris, a substance that forms around squid beaks in a whale’s stomach. Ambergris was and remains a very valuable substance once used in perfumes.
Despite large population drops due to whaling, sperm whales are still fairly numerous.
But for how long – because whaling is still on the agenda !
