Humpback Whale 01 16 2023

Assateague Island 10 am monday January 16th 2023..Haven't been down to the beach (assateague osv) for a few days so don't know if this whale is old news......anyway, as a naturalist always interesting to be able to be close to a whale even if it is dead. I'd guess 2 weeks at least, still firm though..... with leaking interior fluids still red ....digestive tract decomposed enough to be expelled from the mouth....but the baleen (food filters) on one side were in great condition. Body has no notable cuts or wounds, length approx 30 feet.

This whale is a gulp feeder, opening its huge mouth taking in hundreds of gallons of water contain krill or small fish, the ribbed folds in the outer skin (ventral pleats) allow huge expansion making feeding more efficient. The krill and fish are filtered out by the Baleen filters shown in my other post.
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The barnacles are called "Acorn Barnacles" interestingly they are responsible for a lot of the scarring seen on all whales outer skin. The edges of the barnacles are very sharp so whale interactions (touching) cause damage. Finally if you look closely at the barnacle image you will see a tiny creature called a whale lice! Most whales have a species specific type!
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Baleens filter food from mouthfuls of water
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This whale is a gulp feeder, opening its huge mouth taking in hundreds of gallons of water contain krill or small fish, the ribbed folds in the outer skin (ventral pleats) allow huge expansion making feeding more efficient. The krill and fish are filtered out by the Baleen filters shown in my other post.
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