Whale washes up dead behind Plantation Key house,Monroe County, Florida

By David Goodhue

September 12, 2012

A small whale was found dead in the shallow oceanside water behind a Plantation Key neighborhood Tuesday night.

The whale, possibly a pygmy sperm whale, was found by Bill Bolton, a resident of Canal Street, which is less than a mile south of Coral Shores High School. Bolton found the mammal Wednesday morning behind his neighbor’s house while he was cleaning up trash and debris.

A dead whale floats in the shallow water behind a Canal Street home in Plantation Key Wednesday. (Photo by David Goodhue)

“I pick up trash and all types of stuff out of the water, but this is the first whale I’ve seen here,” Bolton said Wednesday afternoon.

It is not clear how the whale died. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is looking into the matter, said FWC spokesman Officer Robert Dube.

According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, pygmy sperm whales are members of the toothed whale group, reaching lengths of up to about 11.5 feet. They weigh between 700 and 1,000 pound when fully grown.

They have small, compact bodies that taper near the tail. The shape of their fin varies depending on the whale. The head is sometimes described as like that of a shark. They travel in groups of six to seven whales.

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