The carcass of a pygmy sperm whale washed ashore on the ECR coast in Chennai on Thursday morning.
The whale was found on the city’s shoreline by members of the public, who alerted the Forest Department. Later, Forest Department staff reached the spot and confirmed the species as a pygmy sperm whale, a small and rarely sighted deep-sea cetacean.
Preliminary observations suggested that the animal had died at the sea and was washed ashore by the tide. Forest Department staff and volunteers documented the carcass and initiated steps for examination and disposal as per protocol.
Yogesh Kulal, Chennai Wildlife Warden, said that the carcass was taken for post-mortem but it was found that it was around two weeks old and that the cause of death could not be ascertained.
Pygmy sperm whales are elusive marine mammals that inhabit deep offshore waters and are only occasionally recorded along the Tamil Nadu coast.
