More than 20 dead beached sei whales were discovered lying on the beach near the Gulf of Penas beach in southern Chile. The whales were found by several foreign researchers who reported the find to the National Fisheries Service. Officials now state that there were between 20 and 30 total beached whales in Chile. The animals were already decomposing, suggesting that they had been lying on the beach for several days.
The Sei Whale is usually a steel gray color with light or white markings on it. It has short, pointed fins, a ridge that extends up to its two blow holes it uses to breath, and a series of between 32 and 60 groves along its ventral surface.
Full grown Sei whales can reach up to more than 50 feet, or 15 meters, and can weigh more than 28 tons. It was reported that the beached whales in Chile were all more than 30 feet long. These types of whales can travel either singularly or in small pods or groups. They are baleen whales and are the 4th largest whales in the world. Sei whales can also stay underwater for up to 20 minutes, usually eating things like plankton, krill, copepods, small fish, and cephalopods like squid.
Cause of Death Unknown for Beached Whales in Chile
According to scientists, none of the whales had any injuries. Thus, at this time, they are uncertain what could have caused the beached sei whales to die on the Chilean shore.
At the moment, they speculate that the cause of death could be attributed to either an algae tide or an illness. The whales could have also washed up on the shore due to sea currents. Currently, bad weather is making it difficult for officials to travel to the area in order to thoroughly examine the beached whales in Chile.
First Sighting of Beached Sei Whales in Chile
Although whales of other species have previously washed up along Chilean beaches, this is a first time occurrence for sei whales in this area. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Sei whale is listed as being endangered because it was nearly hunted to extinction in the past hundred years, with more than 250,000 of them killed in the 19th and 20th centuries. Hunting sei whales commercially is now illegal. At last count, it was estimated that there are now about 12,000 Sei whales in the world, according to the World Wildlife Foundation.
