Deceased Dolphin

[Badger74]

One morning on holiday in Ireland in August I found this on the beach.

Any ideas what could have been the cause of the, I am assuming, bites.


DSC06594 by chrstphrferg, on Flickr

DSC06592 by chrstphrferg, on Flickr

DSC06593 by chrstphrferg, on Flickr

DSC06595 by chrstphrferg, on Flickr

DSC06599 by chrstphrferg, on Flickr

DSC06596 by chrstphrferg, on Flickr

DSC06597 by chrstphrferg, on Flickr

 

[mrcairney]

I'd wager the 'bites' are post-mortem scavenging as I'm pretty sure there are no natural predators in the surrounding waters. Always willing to be proven wrong, however!

 

[tartanferret]

Thats a shame ! maybe a run in with a ships propeller?

 

[shaggystu]

....maybe a run in with a ships propeller?

i'm no expert but i'd agree with tartanferret, they look more like scrapes from something like a propeller than bites to me

stuart

 

[shaggystu]

I'd wager the 'bites' are post-mortem scavenging as I'm pretty sure there are no natural predators in the surrounding waters. Always willing to be proven wrong, however!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Killer_Whale_Range_Map.svg

would killer whales take a dolphin? i'd guess so.

stuart

 

[blacktimberwolf]

There is a chance that it was 'used' by adult killer whales to train younger ones to kill ( the bites, if that is what they are, appear too small for an adult) but as already mentioned, the bites were probably made after the dolphin beached as they are situated at specific areas i.e. the entrails & the heart & lungs, delacasies for scavengers.
There has been a fair amount of discoloration but it looks like an atlantic white sided dolphin, hopefully someone can confirm or correct this.

 

[Nohoval_Turrets]

You might want to report this to the Irish Whale and Dolphin group - they ask the public to report any sightings at sea or dead on shore.

http://www.iwdg.ie/iscope/strandings/report.asp?id=88

The fifth one down looked suggestive of a bite or propeller to me at first, but I wonder if it's just the structure of the muscle? Other than that the rest just looks like post-mortem scavenging to me, most likely gulls. But I'm just guessing - no expertise.

 

[WoodMan]

Not sure how it works in RoI but in the UK all dolphins, porpoises, whales and sturgeon that are found should be reported to HM Coastguard who will send guys out to record details for the British Museum. These are called 'Fishes Royal' and they generally smell very bad! Glyn

 

[mrcairney]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Killer_Whale_Range_Map.svg

Blimey, they get about don't they?

 

[Wayland]

Did you swipe any of those teeth while you had the chance.

Look like they'd make great toggles.

 

[shaggystu]

Blimey, they get about don't they?

i was surprised myself mate, i knew they occasionally get spotted off the british coast but didn't realise how extensive their range is at all

Did you swipe any of those teeth while you had the chance.

Look like they'd make great toggles.

i thought the same thing, well not necessarily toggles, but they'd be bound to come in handy for something. necklaces for upsetting hippies maybe?

stuart

 

[Geoff Dann]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Killer_Whale_Range_Map.svg

would killer whales take a dolphin? i'd guess so.

stuart

Killer whales will often just eat the tongue of larger cetaceans, and this dolphin's tongue is missing. It's possible.

 

[shaggystu]

Killer whales will often just eat the tongue of larger cetaceans, and this dolphin's tongue is missing. It's possible.

i wasn't actually suggesting that killer whales had done this, i think the poor thing had a run in with a propeller or similar then got washed up and scavenged. to my eyes the third picture up looks very much like something mechanical has happened, but i may well be wrong, i'm only guessing really. i mentioned killer whales purely as a response to mrcairney's comment about the likelyhood, or otherwise, of predators in the area. just guessing agin but i'd have thought that the clues for the experts would be the missing fins, i don't see how a propellor could do that kind of damage and i would've thought that scavengers would go for easier to get at and tastier bits than the fins (i'm assuming that the fins are going to have pretty thick skin, it makes sense to me that they would)

just to re-iterate, i have no real idea what i'm talking about, just guesses. it'd be great if we have someone on here who does know what they're talking about though, i for one would be really interested to hear what they had to say.

any marine biologists in the house?

stuart

 

[Paul_c]

odds on it was a killer whale attack. a prop would have left a screw thread type cut down the length of the animal if a small one. aq big one you chop it in half and into mince. both are very far ranging and in cold water deteriation due to bacteria is slowed so the death was probably far off.

that said it could have been dead before something munched on it.ie the large holes in the belly. after a weekening injury or ilness

i do love seeing dolphins when i am on the water. but this is nature for you.

 

[Tengu]

But would a killer whale leave a dolphin uneaten?

Unless it was little ones who lost their prey which died later, of course.

 

[Geoff Dann]

But would a killer whale leave a dolphin uneaten?

They will eat the tongues of whales and leave the rest of the carcass.

 

[shaggystu]

odds on it was a killer whale attack. a prop would have left a screw thread type cut down the length of the animal if a small one........

is that not what the third picture from the bottom shows?

stuart

 

[santaman2000]

Here's some examples of propeller wounds (and battle wounds). www.oceanlight.com/wound_photo.html

 

[robin wood]

I am surprised to hear so many folk mention propeller wounds. Are they common on dolphin? I know slow moving marine mammals particularly manatees in Florida suffer badly but I would be surprised if such fast moving creatures as dolphins regularly suffered propeller wounds.

 

[santaman2000]

I am surprised to hear so many folk mention propeller wounds. Are they common on dolphin? I know slow moving marine mammals particularly manatees in Florida suffer badly but I would be surprised if such fast moving creatures as dolphins regularly suffered propeller wounds.

I've never heard of them on dolphins. But the link I posted did show some on full size whales.