“Law enforcement officials responded to a beached sperm whale calf on Wednesday, November 15, 2017 off Juno Beach. The whale was 13.5 feet long and estimated to be less than a year old. This calf was in poor health and died on scene. Other organizations that assisted ere Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Marine Animal Rescue Society and Juno Beach lifeguards.” Amber Howell, Florida Fish and Wildlife Marine Mammal Rescue Coordinator
Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue lifeguard Russ Gehweiler Jr. was on his lunch break at Ocean Cay Park tower when notified by his lieutenant, Philip Harris, there was a whale trying to beach itself ten yards off the shore.
The lifeguards immediately contacted Florida Fish and Wildlife officials, staying with the whale and monitoring the situation until help arrived.
'Blood in the water'
“When I first ran onto the beach and up to the whale, I noticed a lot of blood in the water. I couldn’t tell where it was bleeding from and I was at its head and looked right into its eye.
"It was very much alive and it was such a surreal moment. I felt so connected to the whale and really wanted to do something to help.”
On duty that day also was Josh Davis and Harris had the two guards stay and secure the scene while he ran the tower. "We were a great team and there were some awesome volunteers who jumped in to assist. It really was good to see everyone come together to help the whale.”
Best chance of survival
The team was told to keep the whale upright (which gave it the best chance of survival), so they brought it up as far as they could out of the wash and covered it in wet towels. “When the veterinarian arrived she decided there was no survival chance and it was more humane to euthanize it, said Gehweiler Jr.”
According to Allison Garrett, NOAA Communications/Media Relations Specialist, in the last 10 years, 12 sperm whale stranding were recorded in Florida waters and beaches, with three of these strandings on beaches in Palm Beach County.
Gehweiler Jr. had witnessed a previous stranding of much smaller pigmy whales in Jupiter, but never a deep ocean dwelling sperm whale, a very rare sight.
Although clearly sick, the mammal was still very powerful and the team didn’t want little kids and onlookers getting in the way or hit by its tail.
'It lifted its tail ...'
Gehweiler Jr recalls, “At one point when the whale was sedated it lifted its tail and still threw three people back.
"Although exhausted, it still was very strong. When I was holding it I could feel it breathing and trying to communicate. It was making these clicking sounds. Its skin felt like a wet suit and I was near the side fins which felt similar to swim fins. It was crazy to be up close to such a beautiful animal.
"It’s really such a loss but I think it will provide crucial information as to why a calf would beach itself. (A necropsy is currently being performed and results can take up to six weeks). We were supporting it so it didn’t roll over and the next day my whole body was sore from supporting that weight for hours.”
Carin Smith with Harbor Branch
Carin Smith with Harbor Branch media said the infant male who didn’t even have teeth yet was extremely emaciated and “it was obvious the whale had been away from its mom for quite a bit.
"We don’t see a lot of sperm whales. They are deep water whales and very rare that they beach themselves because they live way out in the ocean. This is the first sperm whale that Adam Schaefer our epidemiologist has ever had in the lab before.”
The facts
Sperm Whale facts, according to oceanwide-expeditions.com:
Sperm whales will usually eat a little over 900 kg of food a day. To find their prey (preferably giant squid) they usually dive somewhere between 300 and 1,200 meters and an average dive lasts about an hour.
Sperm whale’s teeth along its bottom jaw are about 18-20 centimeters long
When sperm whales are not breeding, adult males live on their own, while females and offspring gather into pods of up to 20 members.
The males generally leave at around 4 years old. The adult males are the only members of the sperm whale family that may venture into the colder waters approaching the North and South Pole. The pods of females and young remain in tropical and temperate zones.
Sperm Whales have a life span similar to humans, living about 70 years of age. Males will not reach their full size until they’re about 50 years old.
The Orca or Killer Whale are the Sperm Whales biggest threat from the natural world, but Pilot Whales and False Killer Whales have also been known to hunt Sperm Whales. Orcas will go after pods, trying to take a calf or even a female, but the male Sperm Whale is generally too big and aggressive to be hunted.
Largest brains on earth
Sperm Whales have the biggest heads in the world, and also have the larges brains on earth (five times heavier than a human’s). Their heart weighs about the same as two average adult male humans
“Moby Dick” is based on two real life sperm whales.
The highest sound pressure level ever recorded from an animal was from a Sperm Whale off northern Norway. The single click corresponds to the sound pressure of the Saturn V rocket at 1 meters distance. This recording proves the hypothesis of “the Big Bang” stating that Sperm whales are able to stun or even kill prey by sound during hunt.
When determined the whale could not be saved, blood samples were drawn and the baby whale was humanely euthanized.
'I felt good about what we did'
According to Gehweiler Jr., “I felt good about what we did. We did the best we could to preserve its quality of life and when the vet said it wasn’t going to make it, we did the most humane thing and put it out of its misery and now we can gain crucial information from the necropsy.
"I’ll be interested to hear the results and would love to find out what is killing the whales and what makes them beach themselves. They are such a mystery.”
Florida Fish and Wildlife encourage the public, if they encounter a stranded marine mammal, to contact them immediately at 888-404-3922.
Also, they advised not to push stranded marine mammals back out to sea, as they will most likely re-beach themselves elsewhere.