Deep sea creature washes ashore in South Africa village, photos show. ‘Very rare'
A sperm whale recently washed up on a beach in South Africa, a strikingly rare occurrence that hasn't happened in recent memory.
The massive marine animal stranded in the shallow waters off Langezandt Fisherman's Village — located about 130 miles southeast of Cape Town — on Friday, May 23.
Hours later, the whale was discovered dead on the shore, Jean Tresfon, a marine conservation photographer, wrote in a Facebook post.
Photos and videos posted by Tresfon show the behemoth lying on its side, partially embedded in the sand. Its mouth was agape — revealing a row of sharp teeth on its lower jaw — and blood could be seen on its scarred head.
'Really sad to see,' Tresfon wrote.
A video posted May 23 by the National Sea Rescue Institute, a South African non-profit, shows a whale floundering in the surf zone near the same beach.
'We are in contact with the DFFE Whale Disentanglement unit and at this stage there is nothing we or anyone else can do to assist,' the organization wrote before confirming in a follow-up post that the animal had died.
The incident was described as highly unusual.
'Sperm whale strandings in South Africa are very rare,' Tresfon wrote, 'which is unsurprising given that they are deep water whales which are seldom seen close to shore.'
Prior to this occurrence, the last documented stranding in South Africa took place in 2018 at Swartvlei Beach — about 215 miles east of Langezandt Fisherman's Village.
The largest toothed whale species on Earth, sperm whales are found in deep parts of every ocean, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The animals — which can weigh up to 45 tons — dive up to 2,000 feet deep to hunt squid, sharks and other deep sea dwellers.
Threats to the species include entanglements with fishing gear, ocean contaminants and vessel strikes, according to NOAA.
And, while the circumstances of this stranding are unusual, cetacean strandings in general are a relatively common occurrence.
Globally, an estimated 2,000 whales and dolphins become stranded every year, with the majority being fatal, according to the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida, a non-profit.
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