A juvenile male fin whale washed up on Herring Cove beach in Provincetown last week. It had apparently been dead a few days. Saturday, a team of marine biologists performed the necropsy on the whale, on the beach. A member of our Board of Trustees, Michael Moore (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute) was in charge of this, and he invited me to be a spectator at close range. It was fascinating; carefully orchestrated, efficient, and remarkably contained. And yes, it was smelly, but you got used to it.
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- Fin whale on the beach. Photo by Rachael Montejo
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- The necropsy team receiving instructions: Woods Hole, IFAW, Volunteers. Photo by Rachael Montejo
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- The first cut. The whale’s swollen tongue protrudes in the background. Photo by Madelyn Shaw
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- The hunt for evidence. Stripping the blubber. Photo by Rachael Montejo
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- Longitudinal bruise under blubber. Evidence of ship strike? Photo by Madelyn Shaw
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- Peeling skin. Photo by Madelyn Shaw
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- Earbone in situ. Photo by Madelyn Shaw
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- Removing the mandible. Photo by Rachael Montejo
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- Opening the intestinal membrane. Photo by Madelyn Shaw
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- The heart. Photo by Madelyn Shaw
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- The expandable throat pleats or grooves of the rorqual. Photo by Madelyn Shaw
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- Cross section of the throat pleats. Photo by Madelyn Shaw
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- Detail of the tongue and baleen. Photo by Madelyn Shaw
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- The end of the day. Removing the last ribs. Photo by Madelyn Shaw
I must comment on the impressive skill, speed, professionalism, concentration, genuine team work and extreme physical ability required to complete such a monumental task.
It was a visually intense experience and I couldn’t agree more about the smell! Whoowee!
Madelyn, thanks again for allowing me to tag along.
Best, Rachael