DVM of The Marine Mammal Center revealed a fractured skull and blunt trauma caused by a ship strike that had been reported by an observer on July 13, 2001. Milk was found in the stomach, indicating that she was partially weaned (a calf may nurse for 12 months and is typically weaned at 1-2 yrs.)Ģ50 bones (including all epiphyseal plates/growth plates) Juvenile female killer whale, age believed to be about 18 months old (based on her length) and growth layers in tooth.
#WHALE SKELETON FULL#
Vertebral growth plates were fused in all bones of the spine, indicating that this whale had reached her full length (physical maturity). Killer whale (Orcinus orca) of the Resident ecotype, from AF or AG pod. North Pacific humpback whale, (Megaptera novaeangliae) Glacier Bay’s humpback whale monitoring program maintains sighting histories of numerous whales who were first sighted as a calf and return annually to feed, socialize, and raise their young in Glacier Bay and Icy Strait within Glacier Bay National Park. Southeast Alaska’s humpback whales are baleen whales that feed in rich, high-latitude waters and migrate to wintering grounds in Hawaii for mating and calving. Ship strikes are a real danger for whales and occur fairly often in Alaska (108 documented between 19) most commonly when a whale fails to get out of the path of a fast-traveling vessel. The trauma was pinpointed to a ship strike that was reported by an observer on July 13, 2001-three days before the body was found. Francis Gulland of The Marine Mammal Center Sausalito, California, led a necropsy which revealed a fractured skull and blunt trauma. Park staff secured the carcass and towed it to shore the next day for veterinary examination to determine the cause of death. Glacier Bay National Park biologist Janet Neilson found the floating body of a humpback whale near the mouth of Glacier Bay on the way home from a whale monitoring survey on July 16, 2001. NPS Photo Whale Beneath Mount Fairweather This is a story of two whales: an adult female humpback whale known as “Snow” whose Tlingit name is Tsal xaan Tayee Yáay, which translates as “Whale Beneath Mount Fairweather,” and a juvenile female killer whale whose Tlingit name is Keet’k’, meaning “Little Killer Whale.” Read on to learn how these whales, and the people who worked with them, provide an opportunity for people to think about the lives of whales and their ocean ecosystems. In this project, supported by a Coastal Marine Grant administered by the National Park Foundation, we learned that by preparing two spectacular and beautiful whale skeletons for display, it is possible to turn the tragic death of a magnificent animal into an inspiring educational opportunity. A dead whale is also a treasure trove of biological information, especially in the case of identified individuals whose life history is known. On the bright side, people are fascinated by whales, thus a stranding provides a rare opportunity for a close look at a wild, ocean-dwelling animal whose body can usually only be glimpsed as it surfaces for air. On the contrary, there is anguish, worry, and a flurry of activity to investigate, especially if mortality may have been caused by human factors. When a dead whale washes up on a beach in a national park, it is definitely not cause for celebration. Snow is the second-largest humpback whale skeleton on exhibit in the world, and there are only about eight complete killer whale skeleton displays in the U.S.