|
This view is looking toward the North. The whale was dead when it washed ashore. |
|
|
A Sad Sight -- Beached Whale |
|
Doris and I heard on the news that a whale had been found on the beach near Nags Head on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. So this morning (Saturday, November 7, 1998) she and I drove down the beach road and found it near the Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills town line. Here are two of the pictures we took. It was an immature female humpback. This whale was about 20 - 25 feet long, and is lying upside down. |
|
This view is looking toward the North. The whale was dead when it washed ashore. |
|
|
|
|
Humpback whales, a baleen whale, grow to a length of approximately 50 feet, weighing 30-50 tons. Females are generally larger than males. That is quite an animal, considering a school bus is generally about 30 feet long. The humpback whale is a vocal whale that sings amazing songs. It performs complex and cooperative feeding techniques and are considered the acrobats of the ocean. They live in pods and have 2 blowholes. The name humpback describes the motion it makes as it arches its back out of the water in preparation for a dive. For more about whales, including the humpback, visit this excellent Whale Site. |
|
|
Nags Head Officials had to truck the whale off the beach. Before it was removed, marine |
|
|
biologists took samples in hopes of determining the cause of death. A sad end to such a majestic creature. |
||
