Dead Pilot whale on Duxbury Beach, Massachusetts

by Maggie Kulbokas

Mon, 10/10/2011

Necropsy performed to determine cause of death

Monday Morning, a team from the New England Aquarium was called to Duxbury Beach where a male pilot whale stranded and quickly died. At the beach, Tony LaCasse, an aquarium representative, said there were two other pilot whales with the whale that died Monday morning.

Biologists from the New England Aquarium perform a necropsy on the dead pilot whale. David G. Curran photo.

LaCasse said pilot whales are small whales that swim in pods. They feed on mackeral and squid on Cape Cod Bay. There are typically 20 to 50 pilot whales in a pod, and if you see a group of only a few whales, it isn’t a good sign, according to LaCasse.

It is possible that the two whales that were with the dead whale were injured or ill as well, but it is also likely they were healthy and were supporting the pilot whale that died, LaCasse said.

Pilot whales are very social creatures. The are members of the dolphin family, according to the

American Cetacean Society. Males are much larger than females and can grow to 20 feet, making it likely that the 14 foot whale washed ashore at Duxbury Beach was an adolescent. Pilot whales are not an endangered species.

A necropsy was conducted to determine cause of death. There were no outward marks or injuries on the whale to indicate it had either collided with a boat or had been entangled in fishing gear.

Photo and video by David G. Curran.

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Dead Pilot Whale Washes Up on Duxbury, MA Beach

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