The 12.44 m sub-adult male sperm whale had become stranded in the Swale tidal channel in Kent over the weekend. Though it was still seen swimming around, it “appeared to be distressed and confused” with jerky movements, never travelling far. Reason might have been an injury to its head.
After fully stranding, the sperm whale was found dead by the next morning. The post-mortem examination by the Cetacean Stranding Investigation Team (CSIP) revealed an empty stomach without any traces of plastic or squid beaks. The latter suggests that the male had been in the southern North Sea for quite some time.
Since the animal’s state is consistent with findings from similar stranding events, the case fits with an out of habitat individual. Sperm whales usually prefer the deeper waters off the West coast, since the shallow southern North Sea with its sandy ground makes it hard to hunt via echolocation and to find appropriate prey.
The sperm whale is already the third stranded in the UK in 2020 so far.
The CSIP report can be found on their Facebook page
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