Outer Banks vacationer spots 900-pound pygmy sperm whale washed ashore from her motel

A woman vacationing in the Outer Banks spotted a 900-pound pygmy sperm whale washed ashore along the sand from the Blue Heron Motel where she was staying.

Carolyn Duckworth, of Richmond, Virginia, immediately notified nearby staff of Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head the morning of Nov. 3 of the whale, which was dead, located half a mile north of the pier, staff said in a news release.

It is quite unusual for a pygmy sperm whale to wash up on the beaches of the Outer Banks, a pier spokesperson Daryl Law told McClatchy News. He said the whale’s origin was unknown.

Strong winds from the northeast combined with heavy seas drew the whale toward the Outer Banks, according to pier staff. Several of them are trained as first responders for the Outer Banks Marine Mammal Stranding Network.

Pier director Mike Remige immediately jumped in a vehicle to record the data on the deceased whale, which was measured as roughly 10 and a half feet long.

“It looked severely emaciated but showed no signs of injury,” staff said.

The whale’s hefty carcass was loaded onto a truck by Remige and Duckworth alongside other volunteers and bystanders.

Roger Nichols, retired veterinarian and volunteer for Network for Endangered Sea Turtles, warned everyone helping to watch out for excreting ink from the whale’s anal slit when they were loading it onto the truck.

“Pygmy sperm whales eat a lot of squid and they have glands that can absorb the ink,” Nicols explained, according to the news release.

“When these whales are threatened, they can shoot the ink out to make a cloud that can mask their escape.”

The whale’s body will be studied by scientists and veterinary students at the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries and the Center for Marine Science and Technology in Morehead City, according to pier staff.

Sometimes, whales swim by Jennette’s Pier in the winter, Law said. They can be spotted on the horizon with their spouts as they blow out water.

This story was originally published November 5, 2021 at 12:20 PM with the headline "Outer Banks vacationer spots 900-pound pygmy sperm whale washed ashore from her motel."

Julia Marnin

McClatchy DC

Julia Marnin covers courts for McClatchy News, writing about criminal and civil affairs, including cases involving policing, corrections, civil liberties, fraud, and abuses of power. As a reporter on McClatchy’s National Real-Time Team, she’s also covered the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of other topics since joining in 2021, following a fellowship with Newsweek. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, she was raised in South Jersey and is now based in New York State.