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SAC vets believe ‘mysterious’ carcass on Aberdeen beach is a pilot whale

SAC News Release Ref. No: 11N91
Published: 20 Jul 2011

SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) vets believe that a large carcass washed up on the beach at Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, is that of a juvenile pilot whale.

The SAC-led Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme examines animals washed up on Scottish shores to identify causes of death. This enables the project to monitor trends in causes of marine strandings which in turn allows identification of any new or developing hazards to marine mammals in Scottish waters.  Dr. Andrew Brownlow, the vet in charge of the scheme, examined the carcass at the end of May. At that time, the carcass was lying in a different position and the jawbone was still present, leading Dr Brownlow to identify it as a juvenile pilot whale, probably at least five years old.

The carcass is now in a much greater state of decomposition and, having been moved by the tide, is lying on its back. The jawbone has been washed away and the whale’s hard palate has been exposed, leading people to think that the carcass may be that of a mysterious prehistoric creature.

Dr Brownlow said: “From examining photos we took of the carcase in May and comparing them to the photos sent recently, we believe the carcass is that of a pilot whale. Even at that time, it was in quite an advanced stage of decomposition making it difficult to identify the cause of death. I believe, however, that the whale was fairly thin when it died and would speculate that it was probably a socially dependant juvenile that became separated from its group and could not survive on its own.

“We are grateful to the members of the public for reporting this carcass to us. The Strandings Scheme works to determine the causes of death in marine animals and identify any substantial new threats to their conservation status, such as disease breakouts. To do this successfully, we rely on people letting us know if they discover any marine animals on the beach. We urge people to contact us if they do.”

Pilot whales are a social, deep diving species which feed on quid and small fish. Possible causes of a juvenile whale becoming separated from its group are numerous, but could include bad weather, underwater noise or loss of contact with the other whales while feeding.

Anyone wishing to report a marine stranding can call 01463 243030, tweet @strandings together with animal and location, or email stranding@sac.co.uk. More information about the scheme is available on our Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme pages.

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News Release Issued By

Ms Jane Smernicki
Head of Communications
SAC (Scottish Agricultural College) Work SAC, West Mains Road,
Edinburgh
EH9 3JG
TelWork 0131 535 4331

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