A large, yet juvenile, sperm whale washed ashore on one of our beaches just last week. Sperm whales are not common around here. The whales in the pictures below are gray whales. The cause of the sperm whale's death isn't certain, but fish netting was found in its stomach. That probably didn't help. I went out on Friday with a coworker to check out the whale. We pulled up along the roadside and already we could smell the stench. My coworker started gagging in my car, so I told him he'd better not puke in my car! We held some tissues over our noses and got out of the car. People were flocking to the whale, despite the smell. In my picture, which unfortunately was the only one I got since my battery died immediately after, you can see two people standing by the whale pointing things out with sticks. They are from Humboldt State University and they're pointing out the whale's features to the folks gathered. Just the other day, they hacked up the whale and the county is burying the bones. They'll dig them up again in a year or two and exhibit them here in Crescent City. That'll be neat!
1 comment:
That would be such a sight to see for a midwesterner! How cool. I can't imagine the smell. Just a few small, dead alewives on the shore of Lake Michigan made a horrible stink a few years ago, and a whale would be a massive lot more fish (technically mammal, I guess) flesh!! Thanks for the picture of decaying meat :-)
We're dealing with mega-snow today, no odor involved, but just gorgeous. Of course, lots of people are stuck or spinning on the icy/snowy road, but it looks great from inside!
Love, Mom
Mom
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