Dwarf Sperm Whale Found

A dwarf sperm whale was found dead ashore at Vunito goloa Village in Ra on Thursday morning.

The dwarf sperm whale is the smallest of the whale family and is even smaller than most of dolphins.

Villagers who found the dead dwarf sperm said it looked injured.

Village headman Josefa Manakiwai described the mammal species as about 3.6 metres in length.

The villagers who came back from fishing early morning found it on our shore. I think it has beendead since last night or early this morning,” he said.

“It might have been bitten by a huge shark out in the open sea. We can see the marks on its body.”

Mr Manakiwai said whales hardly stranded or washed off on their shores unless it had been hurt at sea.

“This is the second time it happened. First in 1993 when a dead whale was washed ashore. It was injured.”

Rusiate Waqata, the service centre manager with the Ministry of Fisheries in Rakiraki confirmed that the mammal was a dwarf sperm.

“It must have been bitten and was stranded out here,” he said.

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