Orca Bite Marks on Harpooned Gray Whale

A juvenile gray whale carcass on Dry Lagoon Beach in Humboldt County, California. Another update March 3, 2010: Apparently this whale was harpooned off Russia and made it to Humboldt County before dying -- according to this news story:

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_14503688

Update: jotakajota1 provides this: "Tongue was partially cut to remove baleen for research 2 days before this video taken. Orca teeth rake mark scars are on both sides of pectoral fin, and the other fin, and are old - the scars are well healed, spread apart, probably happened when she was a calf swimming north, likely last year. She also has propeller scar marks and the bends in her back third may have been from ship strike. A hard life!"

This gray whale was about 27 feet long, so was a juvenile. Also shown are pictures of the lice (Cyamus scammoni) and barnacles (Cryptolepas rachianecti), which are specific to gray whales, still on the carcass. February 5, 2010. Also notice that some yay-hoos cut some chunks out of the whale.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• juvenile
• gray
• whale
• Dry
• Lagoon
• Beach
• Humboldt
• County
• California
• Orcas
• killer
• whales
• tongue
• lice
• (Cyamus
• scammoni)
• barnacles
• (Cryptolepas
• rachianecti)
• marine
• biology
• ocean
• mammal
• predator
• predation
• harpoon
• whaling

[joed051]

I  couldn't imagine the smell.

[HumboldtMike]

@joed051 Yeah, it's pretty bad. You have to approach with the wind to avoid it. However, you can smell it from a far away so it helps you find dead whales...

[jotakajota1]

Tongue was partially cut to remove baleen for research 2 days before this video taken. Orca teeth rake mark scars are on both sides of pectoral fin, and the other fin, and are old - the scars are well healed, spread apart, probably happened when she was a calf swimming north, likely last year. She also has propeller scar marks and the bends in her back third may have been from ship strike. A hard life!

[HumboldtMike]

Cool. Thanks for the info! I could see that some samples had been taken, and it also looked like to vandals had carved initials in it and hacked off chunks of blubber that were still on the beach. Anyway, it's nice to know that they can survive attention from Orcas... I will edit my "more info" with this update.

[chasingalkahest]

I have heard that this behavior of the orca dolphins has been known to the coastal shaminic cultures for quite some time.... part of the folklore and myth of the tribes of the puget sound area .... Thanks for posting -

[HumboldtMike]

Yeah, its hard to ignore the Orca... Thanls for the comment.