< Back to front page Text size – +

Scientists examine finback whale that washed up in Provincetown

E-mail|Link|Comments () May 22, 2009 12:08 PM

(Photo courtesy of Cape Cod National Seashore)
Researchers were looking for signs of external injuries on the whale to try to determine the cause of death.

By Michele Richinick, Globe Correspondent

Researchers today examined a dead finback whale that washed ashore Thursday afternoon at Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown.

The 45-foot juvenile male whale washed up around 3 p.m., said Craig Thatcher, the North District ranger at the Cape Cod National Seashore. This morning, as the whale bobbed at the edge of shore, the researchers collected data and looked for signs of external injuries, to try to determine the cause of death.

"I didn't see anything physically on it yesterday that looked like it could have been trauma," Thatcher said.

He said researchers were looking at possibly doing a necropsy on Thursday, but the waves and the surf were too dangerous at that time.

Observers at the Cape Cod National Seashore saw the whale floating dead off the shore of Cape Cod Bay, and it came in "extremely quickly,” Thatcher said. The whales usually travel slowly in the water. They initially thought the whale would float past Provincetown, but the winds pushed it ashore.

The whale might start drifting into the water when the wind changes direction tonight, Thatcher said. But it will be around the area for awhile because of its large weight.

Finback whales are the second-largest whales (after blue whales) and are on the endangered-species list. It is not uncommon to see the species in the area, the researchers said. Adult finback whale males can grow up to 80 feet long and weigh more than 50 tons.

Crews are working with the park service to develop a disposal plan for the whale.