R.I.P.: Anonymous Sei Whale (Unknown-2009)
Anonymous Sei Whale, weight 50,000 pounds, passed away last week off the coast of Dewey Beach, Delaware. A spritely young fellow whose life was cut tragically short due to a hit-and-run by a large ship which fractured his skull and jaw, his corpse spent the past few days offshore before coming to rest peacefully on the beach at Delaware Sea Shore State Park. A fan of all-you-can-eat krill buffets and a loyal member of the local Rotary Club, Sei Whale’s fondness for seasonal migration will serve as an inspiration for future generations of baleen whales worldwide. Survivors: Other Sei Whales. Services: Burial held today on the beach at Delaware Sea Shore State Park (because of large size of the deceased, a burial at sea was not feasible).
May 21st, 2009 at 7:09 pm
The current global population of the Sei Whale is estimated at only 54,000, about one fifth of the population before the era of commercial whaling. A 1991 study in the North Atlantic produced a total population in that area of only 4,000.
I saw beached whales growing up at the shore. Every time, it’s like seeing a part of the world die. Extremely sad.
May 22nd, 2009 at 11:24 am
What ever happened to Helis the beluga whale of 05 – the one that wandered up the Delaware as far as Trenton before saying aw hell no? Always thought that’d make a great kids book – Helis the young whale goes on an adventure in the scary Del. River and meets lots of mean shad who try to mug him.
May 22nd, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Belugas are also known as ’sea canaries’ because they have such a range of chirps and whistles.
Speaking of whale song: Most baleen whales make sounds at about 15–20 hertz. However, marine biologists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution reported in the New Scientist in December 2004 that they had been tracking a whale in the North Pacific for 12 years that was singing at 52 Hz. It sings a song that will never be answered, because its calls do not match those of any known species. The lone whale does not follow the migration patterns of any other species, either. Over the years the calls have deepened slightly, possibly because the whale has aged.