This past weekend, a sperm whale stranded at a beach in Venice, along the Gulf of Mexico. This event got a lot of attention because stranded large whales are not a common sight for beachgoers in this area.

The cachalot eventually died, and authorities are conducting a necropsy to determine the exact cause of death. I received a few calls from people asking me all sorts of questions about whales, so I decided to answer a few of them in this blog.

Are there whales in the Gulf of Mexico?

Yes, there are whales in the Gulf of Mexico. Approximately 21 species of cetaceans inhabit the Gulf of Mexico.

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) are the most common marine mammals in continental shelf waters (0-200 meters deep). In waters deeper than 200 meters, continental slope, and oceanic waters, there are 21 species widely distributed across the Gulf of Mexico, among these are two large whales: the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) and the Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera ricei).

Rice’s whales are endemic to the Gulf of Mexico, which means that they are only found here in and no place else. They are the only resident baleen whales in the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists believe that less than 100 individuals remain, which makes Rice’s whales one of the most endangered species of whales in the world. (Read more about Rice’s whales.)

What is a marine mammal stranding?

Stranding is a term used to refer to those occasions when marine mammals (whales, dolphins, manatees, and seals) swim or float onto shore and become “stranded” or “beached” and are unable to return to the open sea.

Why do marine mammals strand?

Strandings of isolated marine mammals are not uncommon, and strandings can result from many different causes, including disease, injury as those caused by ship collisions, entanglement as those produced by fishing gear, disorientation, and starvation. Scientists suggest that whales and dolphins, as air-breathing mammals, may strand when they become incapacitated and seek physical protection.

Stranding events of many live or dead animals over a short period in the same geographic area are rare, but they happen. These events are referred to as “unusual mortality events” by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, and can be the result of events such as a disease outbreak, environmental factors, or oil spills.

What should I do if I encounter a stranded or injured marine mammal?

In Florida, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922) to report a stranding. If you can, remain on the scene to provide information to the response team while they are on the way and upon arrival. Maintain your distance from the animal for your safety and that of the animal. And NEVER attempt to push live stranded marine mammals back into the water. While it might seem the right thing to do, it actually can add more stress and extend the animal’s suffering. Also, NEVER touch or handle a live or dead marine mammal. That can result in injury or disease transmission from animal.

What else could I do to help?

You could donate to the Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Event Contingency Fund. This fund helps the federal Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program respond to marine mammal unusual mortality events. Your contributions will help with expenses related to caring for and treating live animals, collecting samples and performing necropsies to investigate causes of these events, and collecting critical health data to inform and improve future responses. Learn more about this fund and program.

Important definitions from Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

• Baleen whales: any of a suborder (Mysticeti) of usually large whales typically of colder waters that lack teeth but have baleen plates in the upper jaw which are used to filter chiefly small crustaceans (such as krill) out of large quantities of seawater.
• Cachalot: sperm whale.
• Cetaceans: any of an order (Cetacea) of aquatic mostly marine mammals that includes whales, dolphins, porpoises, and related forms and that have a torpedo-shaped nearly hairless body, paddle-shaped forelimbs but no hind limbs, one or two nares opening externally at the top of the head, and a horizontally flattened tail used for locomotion.
• Endemic: restricted or peculiar to a locality or region.
• Necropsy: an autopsy performed on an animal.

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