Animals
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Attention

5 sperm whales die on Texel beach, Netherlands

David Kellen
Lighthouse News Daily
Wed, 13 Jan 2016 19:40 UTC
Dead sperm whale
Dead sperm whales on Texel beach
On Wednesday, five sperm whales died on a Dutch beach after they were brought to the shore. On Tuesday afternoon, the whales that were between 25 and 40 feet long, were discovered on the Texel beach and the animal rescuers have been announced.

The sperm whale is also called cachalot is the largest whale with teeth and the largest predator with teeth. The mature whales can reach up to 52 feet and some can even reach 67 feet. This species of whale has a head that is one third of its length, and it mainly eats squid. Cuvier's beaked whale is the mammal that can dive the deepest, followed closely by the sperm whale. The sperm whales communicate through clicking vocalization with each other. They have the largest brain on the Planet and can live more than 60 years.


Comment: A day earlier and about 100 miles to the north east of the above location, there was a similar incident involving the same species: Unusual stranding of 2 giant sperm whales on same beach at Wangerooge, Germany

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Attention

Update: 11 more whales wash ashore in Tamil Nadu, India


The New Indian Express
Wed, 13 Jan 2016 18:54 UTC
Dead whale
© AP/ Senthil ArumugamPeople look at one among the dozens of whales that have washed ashore on the Bay of Bengal coast's Manapad beach in Tuticorin district, Tamil Nadu state.
The phenomenon of whales being washed ashore at Manapad in Thoothukudi continues as 11 more whales die on Wednesday. The count could increase according to the local fishermen.

Till Tuesday evening the death count remained at 45 and on Wednesday morning five more dead whales were washed ashore. As the day progressed the number of whales being washed ashore increased to 11.

Seeing the alarming increase of deaths officials rushed to the spot and sought help of more fishermen into the rescue service as they fear that the death count might increase.

The process of burial of the whales continues at the Manapad beach. Meanwhile, Marine life experts who are camped there have started the collecting genetic samples.

Comment: See also this earlier report: 100 whales wash ashore on Tamil Nadu coast in India: 45 die

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Attention

Whale burial on Tweed beach in New South Wales, Australia

Luis Feliu
The Byron Shire Echo
Wed, 13 Jan 2016 13:44 UTC
Dead sperm whale
© Department of Primary IndustriesLocals at Casuarina beach surround the beached sperm whale.
The burial of a dead four-metre sperm whale which had beached at Casuarina Beach on the Tweed Coast last week has caused a stink with locals who fear its rotting carcass could pose a health risk to beach users and also attract sharks to the area.

The 3.8-metre whale calf was found by locals alive on the beach on Monday 4 January, but died soon afterward and two days later it was buried using heavy machinery in the dunes between two access tracks south of a tourist resort at Casuarina.

Staff from Seaworld on the Gold Coast and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) were called to the site where the whale had stranded.

An NPWS spokesman said the whale had some minor injuries consistent with stranding as well as some smaller shark bites.
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Attention

Unusual stranding of 2 giant sperm whales on same beach at Wangerooge, Germany


Whale and Dolphin Conservation
Tue, 12 Jan 2016 18:18 UTC
Sperm whale
© Hal WhiteheadHead of a sperm whale
Two sperm whales have washed up together on the German North Sea coast. The double stranding of sperm whales took place on the shores of Wangerooge, an island off Germany's North Sea coast, and is an unusual event.

It is thought that the pair may have got lost and mistakenly moved into shallow waters between Britain and Europe, where their navigational sonar may not have work as efficiently as it would in the deeper ocean.

Sperm whales can reach over 18 metres in length and are one of the deepest diving mammals in the world.

Comment: See also: 100 whales wash ashore on Tamil Nadu coast in India: 45 die

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Attention

Dead whale removed from beach in Portugal


The Portugal News
Tue, 12 Jan 2016 16:51 UTC
Dead whale
The removal of a whale from Parede beach in Cascais last night resulted in the closure of the busy Marginal for around four hours between Carcavelos and Parede.

Maritime Police took the decision to close the road between 5pm and 9pm as it was low-tide, which they said would assist them in hoisting the ten-ton carcass onto a truck from the beach below.

The ten-metre long whale had beached on Saturday afternoon.

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Attention

100 whales wash ashore on Tamil Nadu coast in India: 45 die

J Arockiaraj and P Oppili
Times of India
Tue, 12 Jan 2016 12:28 UTC
Dead whales
Over100 whales were found on the 16km stretch from Alanthalai to Kallamozhi coastal hamlets on Tuesday morning.
At least 45 small whales (short-finned pilot whales), part of the lot which washed ashore in Tiruchendur in Tamil Nadu on Monday evening, have died. More than 100 whales were found on the 16km stretch from Alanthalai to Kallamozhi coastal hamlets on Tuesday morning. Thirty six of them have been rescued by fishermen.

"The whales started reaching the shore in groups around 5pm. It is very strange. In 1973 when we were boys, we witnessed same phenomenon. However, not these many washed ashore then," said Rajan, a fishermen in Manapad.

Ditto Mascarenhas of Kulasekarapattinam said if local fishermen had not kept a vigil, many more whales would have died. The fishermen remained awake the whole night to keep the whales in water by pulling them back to the sea.

Tuticorin district collector M Ravikumar inspected the coast. He said officials were investigating the reason for such a huge number of whales reaching the shore.

A team from the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park in Ramanathapuram has rushed to the spot.


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Fish

Tens of thousands of dead jellyfish and starfish found on beaches of West Sussex and Hampshire, UK


Metro (UK)
Thu, 07 Jan 2016 12:18 UTC
Jellyfish
© Wessex NewsThe creatures washed up on the south coast
You can't blame this dog for looking a bit confused at the unusual sight that washed up on a beach.

This massive jellyfish was one of tens of thousands of dead starfish and jellyfish that have appeared on the coastline in West Sussex and Hampshire.

Stormy weather is the cause behind the bizarre scene, and this no-nonsense beast was the size of a dustbin lid.
Student James Wileman, 23, claimed he saw hundreds of dead sea creatures between Southsea Pier and Eastney in Portsmouth.
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Wolf

Child dead following dog attack in Grayson County, Virginia


wsls.com
Sat, 09 Jan 2016 19:16 UTC
Pit bull terrier
Grayson County Sheriff's office has confirmed the 15 month old child attacked by a dog has died.

Officials said the child died last night. They have not released any more information at this time.

According to the Grayson County Sheriff's Office, deputies, rescue personnel and Animal Control responded to a 911 call at 443 Penn Ford Road on Wednesday, January 6, around 9:30 p.m. When they arrived they met with the residents, John Underwood and Terra Connell. Underwood told investigators he woke up after hearing the screams of a 15-month-old child he and Connell were babysitting. Underwood said their Pit Bull mix "E.J." mauled the child and had the girl's head in its mouth. Underwood was bitten in the face while trying to stop the attack. The child was flown to Brenner Children's Hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where she remains in critical condition.

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Ice Cube

Record number of 600 turtles rescued from ocean following cold snap in North Carolina


witn.com
Thu, 07 Jan 2016 13:39 UTC
Turtle
Cold-stunned turtle
State biologists now say a record number of turtles were rescued earlier this week from our coast.

In all, 600 cold-stunned turtles were caught in frigid waters near the shore, as they were not able to swim.

The North Carolina Aquariums took in nearly 450 turtles, including the one at Pine Knoll Shores. Many of the turtles have made a quick recovery, but others need additional time and care before they can return to the ocean.

State officials say about 200 of the turtles will be transported to South Carolina & Georgia beaches tomorrow where they will be released into warmer waters. The rest will stay here for a couple of weeks for rehabilitation.
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Black Cat

Signs and Portents: Cougar with odd head deformity shot near Weston, Idaho


khq.com
Fri, 08 Jan 2016 19:05 UTC
Deformed mountain lion
© Idaho Fish and GameThis Dec. 30, 2015, photo released by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG), shows a deformed mountain lion with teeth growing out of its forehead. Biologists are trying to determine what caused the strange growth on the animal, which was legally killed by a hunter in southeast Idaho near the Utah border.
Idaho Fish and Game officials were left a little perplexed when a conservation officer sent photos of a mountain lion's odd deformity to them last week.

The cougar was shot near Weston by an unidentified hunter and appears to have a separate set of teeth growing out of its head. It's simply something Fish and Game biologists have never seen before.

There's no clear consensus about what the abnormality is, but there are a few theories.

First, it could be a teratoma, a rare type of tumor capable of containing hair, bone, teeth and even parts of limbs or organs.
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