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Index of Subjects --Apple-Mail-426--414958658 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi Blake, On 7-Oct-09, at 8:47 AM, Blake Maybank wrote: > 06 October 2009 > > We walked the length of Martinique Beach on the morning of 6 > October, and we found a dead whale about 3/4 of the way along the > beach. Photos are here: > > http://tinyurl.com/y8zlsu6 > > I've tentatively ID'd this as a Minke Whale, but request > confirmation. And can anyone tell me what is protruding from the > whale's mouth? From a distance (the first shot) it looked like a > large balloon. What a bizarre sight. Although my experience with dead whales is limited, I think this must be a portion of the whale's digestive system (stomach, intestine) that is filling with gases from decomposition and has somehow everted up the esophagus and out the pharynx. Was the rostrum and top of the head at all visible when you examined it? From the photos it can't be seen at all, as if the top of the head was completely missing. It appears the right size for a Minke Whale, and although the pectoral flipper can't be seen very well in your photos, it does appear to show a portion of the white band that is characteristic of this species. Cheers, Chris Christopher Majka <c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca> | Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada * Research Associate: Nova Scotia Museum | http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/research-asfr.htm * Review Editor: The Coleopterists Bulletin | http://www.coleopsoc.org/ * Subject Editor: ZooKeys | http://pensoftonline.net/zookeys/index.php/journal/index * Associate Editor: Journal of the Acadian Entomological Society | http://www.acadianes.org/journal.html * Editor: Atlantic Canada Coleoptera | http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Environment/NHR/atlantic_coleoptera.html "Whenever I hear of the capture of rare beetles, I feel like an old war-horse at the sound of a trumpet." - Charles Darwin --Apple-Mail-426--414958658 Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi Blake,<div><br><div><div>On = 7-Oct-09, at 8:47 AM, Blake Maybank wrote:</div><br = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div> 06 = October 2009<br><br> We walked the length of Martinique Beach on the = morning of 6 October, and we found a dead whale about 3/4 of the way = along the beach. Photos are here:<br><br> <b><a = href=3D"http://tinyurl.com/y8zlsu6" eudora=3D"autourl"> = http://tinyurl.com/y8zlsu6</a></b> <br><br> I've tentatively ID'd this = as a Minke Whale, but request confirmation. And can anyone tell me = what is protruding from the whale's mouth? =46rom a = distance (the first shot) it looked like a large = balloon.<br></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div>What a bizarre sight. = Although my experience with dead whales is limited, I think this must be = a portion of the whale's digestive system (stomach, intestine) that is = filling with gases from decomposition and has somehow everted up the = esophagus and out the pharynx. Was the rostrum and top of the head at = all visible when you examined it? =46rom the photos it can't be seen at = all, as if the top of the head was completely = missing. </div><div><br></div><div>It appears the right size for a = Minke Whale, and although the pectoral flipper can't be seen very well = in your photos, it does appear to show a portion of the white band that = is characteristic of this = species.</div><div><br></div><div>Cheers,</div><div><br></div><div>Chris</= div></div></div><br><br><div apple-content-edited=3D"true"> <span = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; color: = rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14px; = font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; = letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: = auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; = widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; = -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; = -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: = auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0; "><div style=3D"word-wrap: = break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: = after-white-space; "><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" = style=3D"border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: = 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: = normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: = normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: = normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: = 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; = -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: = auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style=3D"word-wrap: = break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: = after-white-space; "><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" = style=3D"border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: = 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: = normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: = normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: = normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: = 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; = -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: = auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style=3D"word-wrap: = break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: = after-white-space; "><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" = style=3D"border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: = 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: = normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: = normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: = normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: = 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; = -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: = auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style=3D"word-wrap: = break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: = after-white-space; "><span class=3D"Apple-style-span" = style=3D"border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: = 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-