Endangered whale found on sea shore
PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA Locals look at the carcass of the sperm whale that was swept offshore on October 7, 2013 along Jumba ruins beach.
What you need to know:
- Locals brought machetes and paper bags to harvest meat but were disappointed as the 50-tonne mammal was rotten and emitted an awful smell
- The whale’s head contains liquid wax called spermaceti, hence the animal’s name
Hundreds thronged the Jumba ruins beach on Tuesday to view a dead juvenile sperm whale that had been swept offshore.
The species is listed as vulnerable by the Internationl Union for Conservation of Nature, and is protected by a whaling moratorium.
Locals brought machetes and paper bags to harvest meat but were disappointed as the 50-tonne mammal was rotten and emitted an awful smell.
National Museums curator Ambrose Kiganda says the species has the largest brain — more than five times heavier than a human’s. Its lifespan is more than 60 years.
The whale’s head contains liquid wax called spermaceti, hence the animal’s name. The spermaceti is used in lubricants, oil lamps, and candles, while a substance from the animal’s waste is used as a fixative in perfumes.
