Finbacks are the second largest living animal

PROVINCETOWN — The swollen tongue looked like a giant balloon protruding from the mouth of the dead, juvenile finback whale that washed up at Herring Cove Beach yesterday afternoon. The young finback, a federally listed endangered species, washed up at about 3:30 pm yesterday, said CT Harry, assistant stranding coordinator for the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s marine mammal rescue and research program. Due to the powerful winds and surf, animal researchers were not able to get close enough last night to get an idea of what may have killed the whale, or even how big it is. As of last night, researches estimated the carcass to be 40-feet long and weighing 10 tons. The dead animal’s tongue, swollen by the gas created in the decomposition process, is “pretty massive,” Harry added. Early this morning, researchers plan to beat the 10 am high tide to get a better look at the marine mammal’s remains. But lacking the proper equipment to haul it off the beach immediately, there are no plans to do a full necropsy. “You don’t want an open carcass on the beach on a busy weekend,” Harry said. The whale may wash away during high tide. If not, researchers will do their best during the next few days to educate the public, while studying the corpse. Finbacks males are the second largest whale in the world. They can grow to be more than 75 feet long in the northern hemisphere and weigh between 50 and 70 tons, according to the American Cetacean Society Web site. Cape Cod Times
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