Huizhou, March 16 (Xinhua) -- When the sperm whale that died stranded in the waters of Daya Bay was dissected at the Fisheries Research and Promotion Center in Huizhou City, Guangdong Province, on the 16th, it accidentally found the sperm whale placenta in its body. Unfortunately, the baby formed whale removed from the placenta died prematurely. Tong Shenhan, director of the Biology Museum of Xiamen University and director of the Xiamen Institute of Land and Water Biology, who participated in the dissection, said that this was the world's first discovery of sperm whale placenta.
Baby whale taken from the body of a dead sperm whale photo by Kang Hyo-juan
Tong Shenhan introduced that the sperm whale fetus weighs 110.5 kg, has a body length of 2 meters, and is male. This major discovery has important implications for the treatment and protection of sperm whales. The baby whale will also be dissected, which will be more difficult to handle and will take 1 month.
Today, about 20 experts, including Ocean Park of Sun Yat-sen University, sampled the skin, fat, muscle, blood and milk of sperm whales and treated their internal organs. Anatomical work such as muscle and bone separation will be performed over the next 2 days.
Dissecting sperm whale scene Kang Xiaojuan photo
It is reported that at about 10 o'clock in the morning, experts found milk in the breast of the sperm whale during the dissection process, and after further dissection, at 14:38, after peeling off the layers of fat and removing a large amount of dark red bruises, a large disc-shaped placenta was exposed. This huge placenta, which is 2 meters 64 long, is lifted out of the body by the combined efforts of 14 people.
After the placenta was separated from the mother, the staff rinsed it with water, and at 15:53, the experts used a scalpel to cut open the placenta and removed the baby whale from it, and there were no vital signs.
It is reported that this sperm whale was previously trapped in the Huishen Sea of Daya Bay for 4 days and 3 nights, which affected countless people's hearts, and the three cities of Huishen and Hong Kong joined hands to rescue, and finally could not return to heaven. After being confirmed dead by experts, the whale was hoisted out of the sea at the Huizhou Port Wharf in Daya Bay on the 15th, and successfully transported to the Huizhou Fisheries Research and Extension Center at about 20:00 that night and immediately took low temperature anti-corrosion measures. Accurately measured at the site, the whale was an adult female with a length of 10.78 meters and a weight of 14.18 tons.
Tong Shenhan introduced that after dissection, the overall health of the sperm whale, there is no obvious damage to internal organs, etc., and the winding of the fishing net should not be fatal, but it takes at least 1 month to determine the cause of death. The age of sperm whales is inferred to be at least 5 years old, and tooth slices are required to confirm.
At present, the Huizhou Municipal Bureau of Oceanography and Fisheries has invited experts and scholars from all over the country to carry out research on the physiological structure, molecular biology, ecology and pathology of sperm whales, analyze the causes of death, and provide more scientifically valuable data and theories for the protection of this endangered population of sperm whales. At the same time, Huizhou also plans to set up a special sperm whale science exhibition hall to publicize the knowledge of marine life protection to the public and enhance the public's awareness of marine protection.
Wu Gang, deputy director of the Huizhou Municipal Bureau of Oceanography and Fisheries, said that the skin, bones, internal organs and embryos of sperm whales will be made into four major types of specimens, and the production time will take about 6 months.
It is reported that in 2015, a small sperm whale that ran aground and died was found in the waters of Huidong County, Huizhou, and has been made into specimens for storage. (End)