THE WARRINGTON WHALE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27291, 18 January 1950, Page 6

THE WARRINGTON WHALE

Climax To Interest In Scientific Study MAMMAL’S POTENTIAL VALUE The whale that came ashore at Warrington and died there last week-end, the largest of these mammals to become stranded on the Otago coast, has aroused keen public interest in these animals and is a fitting climax to the efforts to catalogue local*strandings since 1937, when such occurrences were first scientifically recorded. 1 This latest huge specimen of the whalebone variety of whale, which lives entirely on small crustaceans, or shrimps, will provide much valuable datum to those seeking information on the life and habits qf these beasts.

Mr L. Gurr, lecturer in zoology at the University of Otago, told the Daily Times yesterday that 12 whales had come to his notice since 1937, all being of different species. Most of them had been of the smaller toothed variety, except the huge sperm whale which was stranded at Shag Point. This one was probably between 40ft and 50ft long. Of the whalebone whales that have come ashore, a - perfect specimen was a little piked whale found at Waikouaiti, which was retrieved just before Christmas.

into a white soft wax when exposed to the air. As much as 15 barrels have been obtained from a single whale. This was used for making candles, dressing fabrics and for medicinal purposes. The whalebone whale, such as 'the one at Warrington, is principally hunted for the blubber, which is several feet thick.

With proper facilities available to handle it, the dead whale at Warrington would be worth a considerable sum of money, for it would produce up to 100 barrels of oil. Because of its great speed, this particular type of whale was not sought after in the old whaling days, but since the advent of fast steam chasers it has provided about two-thirds of the annual catch. The “right” whale and the humpback whale were the ones hunted for whalebone and oil, because they were much slower in the water. The whole group of whales range in size from the porpoises, which are from 3ft to 4ft in length when full grown, to the giant blue whale, which reaches a length of about 100 ft. Is is a relative of the one at Warrington. What killed this huge mammal and what brought it ashore? Possibly, said Mr Gurr, it was the result of a navigational error on the whale’s part, and it died from internal haemorrhage, plus sunburn. The whale normally is buoyant in the water, but once stranded on the beach its great weight presses excessively on its internal organs, setting up a haemorrhage. It was oozing blood when he saw it, Mr Gurr added.

In November, his department secured a hump-backed, whale at Chrystal’s Beach, near Milton. It was another outsize animal for its type, and could have been 30ft in length, Mr Gurr said. It was in poor condition when found. This beach in 1941 also provided one of the most interesting of skulls, in the Otago Museum collection. It is the strap-toothed whale, known as such because of the tremendous development of its two teeth which in later life close over and prevent the jaws from opening. This skull is to be seen on exhibition at the present time. While whales of large size captured the popular imagination, Mr Gurr said, from a zoologist’s point of view, the smaller toothed whales were the most interesting. They were not the whales of commerce, and consequently the only information obtainable about them was gleaned from chance standings

An interesting exhibit removed from the whale by Mr Gurr are the vestigial organs. The whale, in prehistoric times, was a land animal. It ultimately took to the water and its legs became smaller and smaller. The pelvic girdle from a whale at Waikouaiti, and its legs, or what remains of them, are now .in a jar in the zoology department of the University. The legs are no bigger than the nail of one’s little finger. What will happen to the whale? It is not so many years ago that trypots were set up on the beach at Waikouaiti, and at Otago Heads, and whales caught off the coast by the boats were cut up and rendered down on the spot. To deal in this way with the one stranded on the sand spit near Warrington would not be a commercial proposition in these days of high costs, but if there was a whaling station handy, the carcass could be inflated and towed away. To tow. it out to sea in an attempt to dispose of it would be futile, because it would untimately be washed inshore again, probably nearer habitation. To bury it where it now lies would be a herculean task, and it may be that the whale will remain to disintegrate with the passing of time.

“Because of this I am anxious to get information of any such strandings of these types anywhere along our coasts, or of any information relative to whale skeletons which may be lying in unfrequented parts of the more Isolated beacSies,” Mr Gurr said. “ For instance, in 1948, there was a small-toOthed whale which came ashore at Little Papanui on the Otago Peninsula. We would be interested to know just where the skeleton is located. These strandings are interesting not only because of the animal itself, but because they tell us something of their movements up and down the coast.’’

Most whales migrated from cold seas, such as the Antartic, to more temperate waters during certain seasons, and it was this annual migration which maintained the last of the Dominion’s land-based whaling stations at Picton.

Methods of Feeding

The Warrington whale, 67ft long, and estimated to be four years of age, in spite of its great sije, was unable to eat anything, either animal or fish, much larger than 3in to 4in long, Mr Gurr said. This was because of its method of feeding, which was known as filter feeding. The whale opened its mouth and took in a tremendous volume of water. Its tongue was retracted which prevented the inrush of water entering the stomach, and the lower jaw was expanded into a huge bag. Having thus taken in water, the whale contracted the folds of its lower jaw and the water was forced out through the baleen, or whalebone screens on each side of its mouth. These acted as a sieve, or screen.

The crustacean, or krill, commonly known as shrimps, seen in the harbour in the autumn, were the whale’s food, and when the water was forced out through the sieve-like baleen, the Crustacea were left behind entrapped, and were then swallowed. This method of feeding contrasted strikingly with the habits of the sperm whale, or cachalot. This huge mammal fed on squids or cuttle fish of tremendous size, or sharks up to 10ft or more.

It is interesting to note that the sperm whale could swallow an object much larger than a man, and so far as the story of Jonah is concerned, it is noteworthy that the sperm is known to occur in the Mediterranean Sea. The sperm whale clings more to warmer waters than do the filterfeeding variety.

Ambergris, that valuable substance found in sperm whales, is generally some secretion built round the beak of a cuttlefish which the whale has swallowed. Used extensively in the manufacture of perfumes in the past, it was much sought after. Some years ago Norwegian whalers found a sperm whale on the Australian coast with 9001 b of ambergis in it. This was valued at £27,000. Value in Oil

The sperm was much sought after also because of the pure “sperm” oil contained in what is commonly known as a “ case ” in the top of the head. This colourless spermaceti solidifies