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KARACHI, Aug 2: The whale that was washed ashore a couple of days back has generated controversy and two organisations dealing with the wildlife are making different claims regarding its species.
The Sindh Wildlife Department says that it is a Fin whale or a common Rorqual. The total length of the stranded whale is 56 feet, the distance from the mouth tip to the front flipper is 16 feet and the width of the jaws is 11 feet. It weighs around 10 tons.
According to the SWD team headed by Fehmida Firdous, this species usually attains a length of 69 feet and weighs over 70 tons. The maximum recorded length is 88 feet. Dorsally, the Fin whale is slim, dark, blue and black, with a white belly. There is a small distinct dorsal Fin without any blotch. The throat and the upper belly bear parallel grooves giving greater flexibility to the mouth during feeding. The most striking feature is asymmetrical colouring in the head region, which cannot be observed in the species found ashore in decaying condition, lying upside down.
The Karachi fishermen had reported regular sighting of whales in the early 1970s off the Makran coast, particularly off the Astola Island and Gwadar during summer months.
WWF: Meanwhile, a team of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) that visited the site on Friday afternoon has recognised the specimen as the Humpback whale, which is a baleen whale as it does not have any teeth but is a filter feeder.
Dr Ejaz Ahmad, leader of the WWF team, says the Humpback whale usually grows to about 52 feet in length and between 14 and 35 grooves are usually found in the species.
He says the stranded whale at Clifton is 48 feet in the body length. Its flippers measure about 14 feet. It has 22 grooves on the throat and chest and is a male.
He says that a population of Humpbacks breeds off the coast of Oman and possibly the stranded whale came from that population. The whale has no marks of injury hence possibly it might have been a natural death. Although the life span of a Humpback whale is around 45 to 50 years.
He says that Humpbacks are acrobats of seas and oceans. They often breech high out of the water and come back down. Sometimes they twirl around while breaching.
The name Humpback describes the motion it makes as it arches its back out of the water in preparation for a dive. It has a stout body and very long flippers. The head is rounded and bulky. It is usually observed in four different colours- white, grey, black and mottled. Their undersides are pale or white.
It is a widely distributed species in all oceans and seas. It undertakes a long seasonal migration between breeding and feeding grounds. It feeds in coastal waters and within 50 metres of the water surface. It is carnivorous and feeds on tiny crustaceans and small fish. It migrates to breed in tropical waters and shallow seas.
Dr Ejaz says a Humpback whale was previously found near Port Qasim in 1984; another at Sandspit in the late 1980s. The skeleton of this specimen has been kept at the Naval Museum in Karachi for display.
GUARD POSTED: The Sindh Wildlife Department has posted its game watchers to guard the whale’s carcass. Sindh Wildlife conservator, Muneer Awan, told Dawn that the skeleton of the whale would be preserved and displayed at the SWD museum.
He said that the department would also seek assistance from the WWF and other organizations working in the field of wildlife in this matter. Educational and research organizations would also be involved in the work.
