Each year, the remains of strange sea creatures wash up on beaches around the world, revealing information about some of the planet’s most elusive and mysterious animals. 2022 was no exception to the rule. Here is a non-exhaustive list of fish and other cetaceans found this year.
A white humpback whale
A few months ago, while kayaking in the state of Victoria, an Australian stumbled over the 30-foot-long corpse of a juvenile humpback whale. The creature’s body, which resembled a marble statue, was particularly notable for its texture its surprisingly white color.
Contrary to what one might think, this dead humpback whale didn’t suffer from albinism (a genetic disease that prevents animals from producing skin pigment) because it had patches of dark skin. On the other hand, she probably suffered from leucism. This genetic disease, similar to albinism, affects the ability of certain individual cells to produce pigment. Consequently, it can lead to uneven discoloration in some creatures.
Credits: Peter Coles
A strange “mass”
On October 27th a certain Helen Marlow fell on a strange mass spread out on the beach at Marazion near Penzance, England. Several theories about its nature have surfaced on the internet: whale placenta, sandbags, or even a deflated weather balloon. After investigation by several experts, it turned out that the gelatinous mass was actually the stomach of a whale.
It is not known exactly what species it is. However, the size of this stomach suggests that it could be a fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), a minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), or a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).
Credits: Helen Marlow
A partially chewed squid
A few months ago, a group of tourists stumbled across the battered corpse of a giant squid, one of the most iconic creatures of the seabed, on a beach in New Zealand. The animal measured about four meterss. Part of its tentacles had been chewed off, probably by small sharks.
Credit: Anton Donaldson
A mysterious beaked whale
Earlier this year, the remains of a species of beaked whale were found on a California beach, four meters covered in scratches. We don’t know what species it is, but specialists have some ideas. It could be a beaked whale (Mesoplodon carlhubbsi), a Stejneger’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon stejnegeri) or even a minke whale (Mesoplodon peruvianus). DNA sequencing of tissue samples helps determine the exact species.
Credits: Noyo Center for Marine Sciences
A giant bony fish
A giant sunfish was spotted near a Portuguese island last October. According to the analyzes, this huge fish measured approximately 3.6 meters wide and over 3.5 meters long during his lifetime. It also weighed in at 2,744 kilograms, making it the largest bony fish ever discovered.
The previous record was held by one of these sunfish caught in Japan in 1996. The specimen weighed around 2,300 kg.
Researchers use a mechanical winch to lift the giant sunfish. Credit: Atlantic Naturalists Association
A 100-year-old Greenland shark
A few months ago, a bowhead shark (Somniosus microcephalus) was found stranded on a UK beach. The fish that had at least 100 years old washed out to sea by the tide at the time of his death and then brought back to the beach. It was about four meters long and weighed 285 kg. Pathologists later discovered evidence of meningitis, an inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.
Greenland sharks are a species normally accustomed to arctic seas. These creatures are also the longest-lived vertebrates. Research published in Science in 2016 relied on atmospheric changes caused by nuclear bomb tests over decades to estimate the age of many of them. Based on these analyses, the scientists think they might live between 400 and 500 years.
Credits: Mermaid Pleasure Trips, Penzance