Rare incidence of a Sperm Whale washing up on Swartvlei Beach beach in the Garden Route.

Date : Sat 1st September
Location : Swartvlei Beach
Sperm Whale washed ashore.

By Mark Dixon

Female Humpback Whale washed up on the 29th June 2018.

It is remarkable that in the past two months no less than two whales have washed up on Swartvlei Beach west of Sedgefield.

Even more remarkable is the fact that both whales washed up a few hundred meters apart, testimony to the consistency of currents along the shoreline.

Sperm Whales are the largest of the toothed whales.

The latest whale to wash up early morning on the 31st August was a Sperm Whale, a rare event with the previous Sperm Whale to wash up on the South African coastline occurring eight years ago.

Sperm Whales belong to the toothed whale family and are well known for hunting giant squid at great depth.

The Sperm Whale washed lying on its left side making it impossible view the blow hole.

Consuming approximately 900kg of prey per day they dive between 300 and 1200m, though they have been recorded at depths of 2000m.

Holding the record for dive time they average 45 minutes per dive but can spend up to 90 minutes on a dive.

This male Sperm Whale had 36 teeth in the lower jaw.

Their lower jaw appears disproportionately smaller to the upper jaw and has evenly spaced conical teeth to grip squid and other prey.

Researcher Danielle Conry and Wayne Meyer taking detailed measurements.

The Sperm Whale that washed up on Swartvlei was 16.37m long, a male and had 36 teeth in it’s lower jaw. The blubber over the abdominal region was 17.3cm thick. From appearances it had been dead for at least a few days but didn’t show any signs of predation or scavenging.

Interestingly, in Sperm Whales the blow hole is positioned slightly to the left of the top of the head which accounts for the distinct sideways blow of this species. Like the Humpback Whale which washed up at the end of June, the Sperm Whale washed lying on its left side and the sand covered the blowhole.

Researchers from ORCA foundation, Cape Nature and SANParks collaborated to sample the Sperm Whale.

Due to the rarity of a Sperm Whale washing up there were plenty researchers to monitor the carcass and take samples. SMART from Mossel Bay helped with crowd control and Danielle Conry and Frikkie van Der Vyver from the Plett Stranding Network were assisted by Wayne Meyer from Cape Nature in measurements and sampling.

The lower jaw was removed by Cape Nature to prevent muti harvesters from taking the teeth for the illegal wildlife trade.

A crucial part of the sampling was securing the teeth from the lower jaw for analysis before trophy collectors and muti collectors could take them. To this end Wayne, assisted by SANParks Rangers used a chainsaw to cut the lower jaw off.

The prospect of muti collectors coming to take samples was confirmed when two spectators were overheard planning a night visit at low tide to harvest all the teeth and tail. It is possible that it is the same people who previously removed the tail from the Humpback Whale.

One of the most asked questions today was what caused the death of the Sperm Whale. While there is no conclusive answer yet, disease, injury from mating conflict or poor nutrition are the top possible reasons.

Report a stranded marine mammal : Contact details and procedure.

Related Articles :

• Fatal Stranding of a Humpback Whale : Read Here
• Whale Strandings – the Harsh Reality : Read Here
• Death of a Whale : Read Here

Related Videos :

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