Mystery Sparked by Rare Whale Species Found on Massachusetts Beach

An extremely rare type of deep-diving whale has been found washed up on a beach in Massachusetts.

The 13-foot whale was first spotted at about 9 a.m. local time on Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester on May 18. It was initially alive, but died hours later from unknown causes.

"It was alive when it initially stranded, and was noted to be somewhat lethargic, but still thrashing occasionally," Brian Yurasits of the Marine Mammal Rescue team at the Seacoast Science Center told local news New Hampshire Public Radio.

The response crew, with included teams from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the International Fund for Animal Welfare, had never seen a whale of this species before, but eventually determined it to have been a Sowerby's beaked whale.

Sowerby's beaked whales (Mesoplodon bidens) are sometimes known as the "North Atlantic beaked whale," NOAA explains, and can grow to between 14.5 and 21 feet long, and up to 2,900 pounds.

This individual weighed around 1,700 pounds, and had become stranded on the beach after getting stuck on a shallow sand bar.

cuvier's beaked whale
A file photo of a Cuvier's beaked whale, a close cousin of the Sowerby's beaked whale. A Sowerby's beaked whale was found washed up on a beach in Massachusetts. ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS

"These animals have a large melon on their head," said Yurasits. "They have a very long beak and actually no teeth that are visible. So, almost similar to a mix between a whale and a dolphin."

This whale was quite far outside of its usual home in deep, cold, temperate and subarctic waters throughout the north Atlantic Ocean.

"They spend most of their time off of the continental shelf of the North Atlantic. So this animal was severely out of habitat," Yurasits said. "You would never expect to see these things near shore, let alone in a few feet of water."

They are rarely seen at the surface, spending most of their time deep underwater. They can spend up to 28 minutes at a time beneath the waves between breaths, feeding on deep-water fish and cephalopods.

pilot whale
A file photo of pilot whales on a beach in Falcarragh Strand, Donegal, Ireland in 2014. An extremely rare type of deep-diving whale has been found washed up on a beach in Massachusetts. ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS

This unfortunate whale, despite the efforts of the rescue team, died at around 1 p.m. The reason for its stranding was unknown, as no wounds or signs of human or boat interactions were seen on its body.

After the animal died, a necropsy was performed by a team from the University of New Hampshire, and they found that its brain was swollen. This led the researchers to think that the whale perhaps had been infected with a virus, possibly bird flu, or a parasite, according to a Facebook post by the Seacoast Science Center.

"The degree of inflammation explains the death of this animal, as well as why it might have been disoriented and strayed into shallow waters," Inga Sidor, a clinical associate professor of molecular, cellular and biomedical sciences at the University of New Hampshire and lead pathologist on the necropsy, told LiveScience. "Avian influenza is a top consideration," she said. "It'll be a big deal (at least in the marine mammal world) if it does turn out to be influenza."

Further samples were taken from the brain to be tested, but the results won't be conclusive for a few more weeks.

Bird flu has been previously detected in marine mammals, with over 330 seals in New England dying from the virus in 2022, and several dolphins and whales having tested positive for bird flu after strandings.

In the meantime, the animal's head will be sent to the Smithsonian Institution for research into the rare whale, while its body was buried on Wingaersheek Beach.

Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about Sowerby's beaked whales? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.

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