Cape Town conservationists are investigating the rare stranding of a female fin whale along the Greater Dyer Island coastline after the massive marine mammal washed ashore near Gansbaai earlier this week.

The whale, measuring 23 metres in length, was first spotted on Wednesday near Gansbaai Harbour by Jason Stafford of Ivanhoe Sea Safaris before eventually washing ashore at Die Plaat.

Teams from Marine Dynamics and the Dyer Island Conservation Trust (DICT) responded immediately to assess the animal and begin documenting what is believed to be the first recorded fin whale stranding in the area.

The fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is the second-largest whale species on Earth after the blue whale and can grow to as much as 27 metres in length, weighing more than 70 tonnes.

Despite its enormous size, the species is rarely seen close to shore, preferring deep offshore waters where it feeds on krill and small schooling fish.

Researchers from the Dyer Island Conservation Trust confirmed the whale’s identity by examining several distinctive characteristics, including the species’ unique asymmetrical baleen colouring.

The whale also displayed characteristic ventral grooves and white pigmentation along the right side of its throat and tail, features unique to fin whales.

The species is listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List after suffering dramatic global population declines during the era of industrial whaling.

According to Wilfred Chivell, founder of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, the discovery is unlike anything he has encountered in decades of working along the coastline.

“This is the first time I have ever seen a fin whale stranded along the Greater Dyer Island coastline,” Chivell said.

Scientists from the University of Pretoria’s Whale Unit, based in Hermanus, are expected to join the conservation team as they continue examining the carcass and collecting samples to determine what led to the whale’s death and subsequent stranding.

The findings are expected to contribute to ongoing research into one of the world’s largest and least frequently encountered whale species in South African waters.

Further updates are expected once scientists have completed their investigation.

IOL