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Sperm Whale Necropsy at Fort De Soto Park

Photo Credit: FWC

Marine mammal researchers at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) spent the first day of 2008 on the beach at Fort Desoto performing a necropsy on a 30-foot female sperm whale.

A necropsy, like an autopsy, is the examination of an animal’s body usually to determine the cause of death.  Necropsies also provide important anatomical, physiological, and life history information.  This information is especially valuable in sperm whale research as relatively little is known about the animal.

On Dec. 30, a fisherman called Martine deWit of the FWRI Marine Mammal Pathology Lab (MMPL) to report a whale spotted of John’s Pass, Madeira Beach. DeWit notified the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Fisheries Service.  The following day, Andy Garrett, Alex Costidis, and Kane Rigney, also of MMPL, joined NOAA Fisheries Service to monitor the whale, now located just south of Tampa Bay.  Efforts to guide the whale away from shore and into deeper water failed.

The animal was euthanized on Jan. 1 and towed to Fort De Soto.  A sand bar prevented tow boats from pulling the carcass all the way to shore. The team used a backhoe to pull the whale onto the beach where they could perform the necropsy.

Preliminary necropsy findings indicate the whale was emaciated and suffered from chronic illness.  Researchers were able to gather additional information about the life history of the whale from these results.  For example, the condition of the teeth indicate the animal was an older adult. An internal examination of the reproductive tract shows the whale had calved at least once.  They also determined that at one point the whale suffered from three fractured ribs but these appeared to have healed over time. 

Sperm whales are present year-round in deep water areas of the Gulf of Mexico. They are commonly found in the deep waters of continental shelf edges and slopes or mid-ocean waters. Typically, healthy sperm whales are not found near shore.  In the past ten years, three other sperm whales stranded themselves on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

In addition to the FWC and NMFS, Mote Marine Laboratory, The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, Fort De Soto Park, U.S. Coast Guard, and the St. Pete Beach and Treasure Island Police Departments took part in the necropsy.

For more information on FWRI's marine mammal programs, visit our Manatees and Right Whales sections.