After a lifeguard on duty found the nine-foot animal on the San Onofre State Beach, it was first identified as a pygmy sperm whale by a former ranger. The big bulbous head, tiny dorsal fin, dagger teeth and characteristic blow whole location seemed unmistakable. Additionally, he noticed what appeared to be a bullet hole.
His identification was later confirmed by federal marine mammal biologists who retrieved the decaying head for further research. Unlike the similar-looking dwarf sperm whales, sperm pygmy whales are not often sighted and are therefore considered as rare by NOAA. However, the bullet hole assumption was soon replaced by the higher probability of a shark bite, most probably by a cookiecutter shark. Just like the pygmy sperm whales, they are a deep-diving species that are known to attack small cetaceans and often leave small, perfectly circular wounds.
The deep-diving pygmy sperm whales are typical to be found off-shore in tropical water. The shore of California is therefore an unlikely place to find them. The research team assumes that its misplacement might have either been due to the “super warm” pacific or because there might actually be more of the species in the area than initially assumed.
It is also assumed that the animal was already dead by the time it was washed ashore. Their highest anthropogenic risk is entanglement in fishing gear. The Southwest Fisheries Science Center is examining the rare specimen to determine its cause of death.
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