Odd creature on Cayman Islands beach a rare example of impact storms have on whales
A tough-to-identify creature discovered on a Cayman Islands beach is likely an example of the impact dangerous storms have on marine life.
The 3-foot-long corpse — which had no eyes — washed up Aug. 20 near Bodden Town, just days after Tropical Storm Grace lashed the islands with high winds and heavy rain.
“After examining the animal our ... team believe it to be a pygmy sperm whale. It appeared to be an embryo due to its size ... and underdevelopment of eyes and teeth,” the Cayman Islands Department of Environment posted Aug. 23 on Facebook.
“Cause of death was likely due to the storm last week. ... We believe the mother was caught in #TropicalStormGrace and prematurely aborted the pregnancy. Premature abortion in pregnant whales can happen when the mother experiences significant stress/trauma or the conditions aren’t beneficial for the survival of the offspring.”
The baby whale was found three days after the storm passed the Cayman Islands, according to records from the National Hurricane Center.
At the time, Tropical Storm Grace had maximum sustained winds of about 40 mph that extended 45 miles from the storm’s center, the hurricane center says. It was generating large ocean swells and as much as 15 inches of rain.
The storm dissipated over the weekend in the mountains of Mexico, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports.
Pygmy sperm whales live more than 20 years and can reach 1,000 pounds and nearly 12 feet in length, NOAA Fisheries reports. Pregnancies last 9 to 11 months, NOAA says.
“The whales only come to the water’s surface when the sea and weather conditions are very calm. As a result, scientists rarely see pygmy sperm whales at sea,” NOAA says.
“This makes it difficult to estimate their minimum population size or current population trends.”
This story was originally published August 25, 2021 at 2:07 PM with the headline "Odd creature on Cayman Islands beach a rare example of impact storms have on whales."