According to the Qianjiang Evening News, at around 9:07 on April 28, a Taizhou Linhai-registered fishing boat found a whale carcass in the waters near N29°17.648 and E122°11.218 east of Shipu, Ningbo.
According to Wang Yubao, the owner of Zhejiang Linyu 21828, the whale is very large, and when the ship approaches, an obvious odor can be smelled. It is initially estimated that the whale has been dead for some time.
Regrettably, based on the location where it was found and the size of the whale and other characteristics, the whale carcass may be the sperm whale that was previously stranded in Xiangshan.
Successful rescue: Sperm whale returned to the sea
html On April 19, fishermen discovered a stranded whale near the Banbianshan sea outside Tongwamen Bridge in Shipu Town, Xiangshan County, Ningbo. According to CCTV News report, the stranded whale is about 20 meters long. It is initially determined to be a sperm whale. is a national second-level protected animal . Relevant departments are currently conducting intensive rescue.
This sperm whale has a body length of 19 meters and a weight of 25 to 45 tons. However, the tide has gone out and the sperm whale has been stranded in shallow water. High-powered fishing boats are also working hard to drag it into deeper sea areas. , but it seems very difficult.
Why do sperm whales stray into the shallows?
Sperm whales are the largest toothed whales in the world. The average body length of female whales is about 10-12 meters (the weight is about 12-18 metric tons), and the male whales are 14-18 meters (the weight is about 40-60 metric tons). Individual body sizes can be Reaching more than 20 meters.
Unlike baleen whales whose mouths are full of brushes, toothed whales have their mouths full of teeth. They are very terrifying predators in the ocean. However, sperm whales make a living by specifically preying on squid squid, so sperm whales can dive to a depth of thousands of meters. Under water, you can stay underwater for 1 hour with one air change.
The shape of their mouths is different from that of sperm whales. Their heads are particularly large and contain more than 1,000 liters of spermaceti oil. One of the heavy reasons for the capture of sperm whales back then was the spermaceti oil, this white wax The substance can be used to light lamps. Of course, the best use is to make high-grade lubricants, but its use for whales is confusing, and opinions are still inconsistent. For example, some support adjusting buoyancy, while others think it is used to focus underwater ultrasonic waves.
Scented whales are widely distributed in non-icing waters around the world. They are often on the way to migration. There are several reasons for straying into the shoals. One is injury or physical reasons, another is disturbed by the noise of ship propellers, and another is It may be that it is lost. After the sperm whale strays into the shallows, it is difficult to escape on its own strength.
With previous overfishing, sperm whales have become endangered, so how to save them after stranding has become a big deal. However, as the tide recedes, almost the entire sperm whale is on the mudflat. This is for whales. But it's a deadly threat.
One is because although the sperm whale breathes with its lungs, after it is stranded on the beach, its internal organs lose the buoyancy of the water and compress the lungs and heart, etc., and they will eventually suffocate to death. The other is that the skin of the whale is used to being underwater. , once it reaches the water and is exposed to wind and sun, the skin will lose water and fall off, and eventually there will be wounds all over the body, causing infection and death.
Therefore, if you want to save the sperm whale, you must keep it moist. Due to the low tide that day, these tasks must be done manually. The good news is that at around 5:30 a.m. on April 20th, the male sperm whale that had been stranded for more than 20 hours was successfully rescued with the help of rising tides!
The sperm whale slowly swam out of the bay and towards the sea. At that time, some friends pointed out that the sperm whale would not be stranded for no reason. It was probably because of a serious condition in its body. Although the cost of saving this time was extremely high, it might still be possible. die.
Unfortunately, this prophecy came true. The whale discovered at around 9:07 on April 28 was probably the sperm whale that was rescued 10 days ago. As expected, it did not survive the 10 days. Of course, for animal protection, He said that the vital signs of the sperm whale were normal at that time, so he would try his best to save it.
Whale explosion: Or it may happen
The current weather along the coast of Zhejiang is around 20℃, and the temperature during May Day is between 20~30℃. The temperature is not high, but it is not low either. For a huge animal like the sperm whale, Whale explosions can easily occur in such an environment!
On January 17, 2021, the Italian Coast Guard discovered the body of a fin whale near the port of Sorrento
Whale explosion may sound scary, but in fact, after the whale dies, the bacteria in the body begin to decompose organic matter and produce putrefactive gas. After accumulation, it cannot be discharged through "normal channels". After reaching the body's endurance limit, once certain critical operations are encountered, such as when someone flips, carries, or cuts, the , methane, , hydrogen sulfide and other gases in the whale's body will It will burst out suddenly.
will not have the explosive effect that you may imagine, but due to the decay of dozens of tons of meat in its body, the stench produced may make you sick during the May Day holiday, and the large amount of ejected internal organs may cause human body damage if it presses on people. If you are injured, a traffic accident may occur on the road.
The most famous whale explosion in history occurred at Florence Beach, Oregon. It was November 1970. A 14-meter-long, 8-ton sperm whale stranded on the beach. I planned to dig a hole for it. It was buried, but it turned out that the local beach management felt that the hole was too big, so it would be much easier to blow it up with explosives and then dig a hole.
In order to demonstrate the blasting technology, we also invited the Oregon TV station. As soon as the explosive detonated, everyone who visited the site probably regretted it, because the huge explosion caused all kinds of rotten whale meat. Rotten intestines and internal organs splashed around, far exceeding the predetermined safe distance. Several cars on the nearby highway were smashed by whale meat.
The reason is that a large amount of gas has accumulated in the whale's body. The moment the explosive detonated, it directly assisted the explosion. Even the reporters were confused. It is estimated that they will not be able to clean it after returning home for three days! There is also a whale explosion monument at the site to permanently commemorate this "great cause".
Another time was January 24, 2004 A sperm whale stranded on the coast of Taixi Township, Yunlin County, Taiwan Province, my country. It was originally going to be moved and made into a specimen. In order not to affect traffic, it was specially chosen to transport it in the early morning, but it ended up in Tainan. A big explosion occurred near the Xiaobei Night Market on Ximen Road in the city center.
The people near the street were either woken up or woken up by the stench. The road was filled with fishy whale blood. The scene looked like a whale massacre. This thing was really criticized by the people for being bloody.
Therefore, this sperm whale in Taizhou waters may explode in the next few days. It is not difficult to solve it. Just make a puncture to drain the internal gas out. For a sperm whale more than ten meters long, do The specimen is indeed a good use, so it is very likely that you will bring it back, but be careful. Although it is unlikely to cause a life-safety accident, being drenched in smelly blood is not a pleasant experience.
Extended reading: Ambergris
I guess you must have thought of one thing, that is the sperm whale's ambergris. This is when the sperm whale eats squid and cuttlefish. The indigestible keratin cannot be excreted in the intestines and stomach, so the sperm whale will It secretes a substance that is continuously wrapped to protect the intestines and stomach. After a long time, it is not known whether it is spit out or expelled, or it is separated from the whale carcass after death.
After aging in the ocean and sunlight, it eventually becomes a top spice that is highly sought after by the perfume industry, and its value is much higher than gold! For example, on June 6, 2021, 5 fishermen from the Yemeni al-Khaisah village found a 127-kilogram piece of "ambergris" inside a floating sperm whale carcass in the Gulf of Aden. This piece of ambergris is said to be worth more than 150 Ten thousand U.S. dollars!
This piece of ambergris was found in the sperm whale. Although the aging time is not enough, it is still valuable. The value of the aged ambergris is even higher, but this kind of ambergris is rare. It’s a magical thing that you seek because even if you catch a sperm whale and kill it, there won’t necessarily be ambergris.
It is said that grayish white is the top grade
According to statistics, only about 5% of sperm whales have ambergris in their bodies, but you can still try. The sperm whale that died in Taizhou waters weighed more than 20 tons and was an older sperm whale. , the probability of having ambergris is relatively high.
