CHENNAI: A highly decomposed carcass of the Pygmy Sperm Whale, a rare marine mammal, washed ashore on the beach at Neelankarai on Thursday morning.
Chennai Wildlife Warden Yogesh Kulal told TNIE the carcass was estimated to be around 15 days old and was already in an advanced stage of decomposition when it was found. Due to the mangled and decomposed condition of the body, the officials are unable to determine the whale’s age or sex.
Forest department personnel collected tissue samples from the carcass and sent them to Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) for analysis. After completing the examination and sample collection, the carcass was buried on the beach.