Young Female Humpback Whale Ballooning Carcass Found on Shores of British Columbia

On the shores of Malcolm Island in British Columbia, a young female humpback whale's ballooning carcass was discovered.

The young female humpback, known as Spike, doesn't appear to have any external wounds, and rescuers aren't sure what killed her.

Jackie Hildering, humpback researcher and communications director from the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS), said that the inflation of the humpback whale's carcass is completely normal during an interview with Newsweek.

MERS was directly involved in identifying the beached whale carcass.

Researchers say the sad discovery of a dead young humpback whale can be a learning moment for people about the risks the animals face from human activity. https://t.co/z4LRQnG66D

- CBC British Columbia (@cbcnewsbc) October 26, 2022

Hildering further stated that the gas produced by the animal's internal decomposition caused the ballooning effect.

The body will eventually deflate as the trapped gas eventually manages to escape.

Inflating and Deflating Whale Carcasses

The slow gas release from tiny tears on the skin of the whale typically causes this deflation.

The whale's skin does, however, occasionally continue to stretch outward like a blown-up balloon. The gas can subsequently stretch the whale's skin to the breaking point, just like balloons can.

Hildering said that this whale's distended throat and belly had already shrunk in comparison to its earlier size by yesterday evening.

The whale might start sinking to the ocean floor as the gas escapes.

The researcher also said that to perform a necropsy on Spike and attempt to ascertain the cause of her death, they secured her to the shore.

She explained that the body as well as internal organs will be examined to look for clues, similar to a human autopsy.

This frequently entails assessing the general state of the body, searching for signs of trauma, analyzing stomach samples, and testing for parasites, diseases, or other conditions.

Whale Deaths in British Columbia

The precise number of whale deaths in British Columbia each year is difficult to estimate.

According to Hildering, dead whales typically sink, so the circumstances of their deaths are frequently unknown.

British Columbia's coastline is so extensive that even if a dead whale gets beached, the body might not be discovered at all or possibly not soon enough for the cause of death to be determined before decay sets in.

Nevertheless, these statistics are probably significantly impacted by human activity.

The researcher pointed out that According to preliminary findings from our study, which was carried out in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, roughly half of the humpback whales off British Columbian coasts have scarring from entanglement.

Humpback whales have scars caused by boat propellers, too.

 She further added that there is no way to know how many whales have perished and fallen to the ocean's floor.

Read also: Dead Humpback Whale Beached in Sea Isle City 

Humpback Whale Population Increase

Humpback whale numbers have grown recently despite these fatalities.

Hildering said that due to population recovery following depletion by commercial whaling, humpback whale populations off British Columbian coasts have significantly increased over the past 20 years.

The increase is thought to be too significant to be the result of population growth alone. The humpbacks are probably moving from another location as well, possibly because of the climate or prey.

MERS is one of the research groups that has documented this comeback by regularly tracking and cataloging whale populations.

Information on a whale's life history, behavior, and regrettably the dangers to their survival can all be gathered by identifying and monitoring a particular whale.

Meanwhile in another part of the globe, according to Behind the News, the humpback whale has been removed from the Australian government's list of endangered animals.

Despite disagreement among some conservationists, it claims that the humpback species is no longer in danger.

Increased Human Encounters

The likelihood of a whale encountering a human rises as whale populations grow.

Hilderign said that the threats to humpback whales include boat collisions, entanglement in fishing nets and other fishing gear and debris, changes in their food source, and noise.

Humpback whales as well as other baleen whales frequently are unaware of the presence of boats because they lack the biosonar of toothed whales like orcas.

The said animals can be resting just below the surface or at the surface, and they frequently travel in highly unpredictable patterns in search of food.

Still, many mariners are unaware of the need for increased caution, Newsweek reported.

According to MERS, the "See a Blow, Go Slow" campaign was started to raise awareness of the Marine Mammal Regulations in Canada, how to avoid colliding with sea animals, and what to do in the event of a collision or entanglement.

Related article: Why Do Dead Whales Explode? Experts Warn People to Run If They See This on the Beach