By Kathleen Bodden-Harris

Around 7.30AM Tuesday 23 July, a resident of South Side Cayman Brac discovered the washed up corpse of an elusive Gervais Beaked Whale.   It was during duties of Turtle Patrolling and beach clean-up efforts, that Kathleen Bodden-Harris found and reported the large lifeless cetacean rolling in the outgoing tide along the rocky shore.

Turtle Patrol leader, Bonnie Edwards was contacted and she in turn reported to the Department of Environment for further instructions of how to process the carcass for scientific study.   Department officials from the offices of Environmental Health and Public Works joined in efforts to decide proper procedures for removal.  The crowd along the west of Public Beach and across from the Landfill swelled as the news of the fatal landing travelled through the community.

An assorted group of sharks combed through the waves hoping the whale’s body would return to the deeper waters providing them with a meal.  Lemon, Nurse and Reef Sharks in a variety of sizes waited their turn in disappointment.

Changing tidal conditions and proximity to the Public Beach prompted a swift decision for removal of the carcass to the landfill for burial.   Public bathing close to feeding frenzied sharks could not be considered.  The fact the area was under protection from heavy equipment traffic due to turtle nest sights delayed the sorting until nest locations could be confirmed.  A large earthmover would be necessary to transport the dead whale.

In the meantime, retired biologist Sue Smartt and Ms. Bodden-Harris worked to identify the species.  Through measurements, marking observations and specifications from the book Whales, Dolphins & Porpoises by Mark Corwardine the cetacean was identified as an immature male specimen of the Gervais Beaked Whale family also known as Mesoplodon europaeus or Gulfstream Beaked Whale, Antillean Beaked Whale and a few other common names.  However, the sighting was anything but common.  Only 25% of the cetacean family belongs to the ‘beaked whales’.  This particular species is difficult to determine at sea and only such an encounter would allow a positive identification.

Adult males are the only members of their species with two large teeth that protrude from 3” inside the lower jaw.  Infants and females carry their teeth below the gum line making documentation difficult.  This specimen measured a length of 13’3”, just shy of the minimal adult length of 14’ to 17’.   One of its large teeth was broken off at the gum line, perhaps in rowdy male jousting.  Their life spans in the wild are estimated to reach the age of 25 years old.

Very little is known about these whales.  Their population and status are unknown with most studies coming from rare sightings at sea that are difficult to assess and beachings.   Beachings are typically found in subtropical waters mostly along the Atlantic seaboard of the U.S. from Florida northward to North Carolina.  Many are due to females calving in shallow waters adjacent to their deep hunting grounds.  Stomach contents have revealed their diets consist of squid and fish from the far depths.  They are known to be the deepest and longest diving members of their kind.

The first mention of the species was in 1855 and it wasn’t until several decades later with the discovery of a stranded male juvenile in 1889 and a female in 1905 that verification of the species could be confirmed.

Body markings on the Cayman Brac specimen proved male to male aggression encounters and feeding on large squid leave their tell-tale signs.  Scars from those large teeth from rivals and 3” sucker marks from their large deep ocean catch marred the body of this unfortunate young whale.

Their territories range in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, western Atlantic coastlines of the U. S. and northern coast of South America.  Sightings have been noted easterly to the U.K. and along the western shores along North Africa and the Canary Islands.

Necropsies on dead animals washed ashore show causes of death extend mostly from human interference.  Ingestion of plastics, acoustical assaults from naval experiments and net entanglements have previously been determined.  In May 2011, a juvenile female washed ashore dead in south-western Puerto Rico close to the deep trench there.  Her stomach contents were filled with 10 lbs. of plastics.   It is likely these animals follow the hunting paths of deep canyons such as the Puerto Rican and Cayman Trenches.

Dr. Mauvis Gore, a scientist and expert of cetaceans and sharks was on a boating expedition off Little Cayman during the discovery. Via telephone, she advised the local DoE officer to take tissue and teeth samples.  Unfortunately, the carcass was buried before stomach matter could be extracted for study.    She is part of a coalition team from the U. K. working with Marine Conservation International acting as their co-director, Save Our Seas and in conjunction with our own Department of Environment.  She leads a group of experts working on the Shark and Cetacean Project which has worked all three islands since 2009.

Dr. Gore noted such rare opportunities as this dead whale finding its way to Cayman Brac provides invaluable details and data to paint a broader picture of these elusive creatures.  The impact human encroachment has on their lives such as their consumption of marine litter, acoustical assaults from undersea experiments and threatening entanglements from nets and debris are negative impacts that must be analysed and addressed.   We need to know the species better to understand how we may live sustainably along with them.

PHOTOS: Kathleen Bodden-Harris

See also iNews Cayman story published July30 2013 “Whale and giant squid found dead” at: http://www.ieyenews.com/2013/07/whale-and-giant-squid-found-dead/