DFO scientists conducted a necropsy on a 2,200-pound Sowerby’s beaked whale today In St. John’s.
The rare beaked whale was discovered dead and washed ashore at Point Lance on the southern Avalon Peninsula on February 7. The whale is an adult female measuring 16 feet.
The Sowerby’s beaked whale is a reclusive, deep water species that is rarely seen near shore. The species is listed as special concern under the federal Species at Risk Act. For more photos of the necropsy, see the June issue of The Navigator and for more videos, visit https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChXoU3_uZ60Nqp2q1CTbEsQ
Editor’s Note:
The necropsy performed today by DFO has identified the animal to be a True’s beaked whale. Initially it was thought to be a Sowerby’s. DFO scientist Dr. Jack Lawson was able to identify the type of beaked whale after an analysis (x-ray) of the teeth in the jawbone. A True’s beaked whale is an equally rare, and it is the first recorded one in NL.
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