RAMANATHAPURAM: The carcass of a 21-feet-long whale shark, which is one among the endangered species, washed ashore at Aathankarai here on Saturday.
Estimated to be about 35 years of age, the male whale shark weighed about 1.5 tonnes. According to the Ramanathapuram forest range officer S Sathish, the whale shark is believed to have died about three days ago before being washed ashore as the carcass had begun to decompose.
The carcass did not show any signs of external injuries, ruling out possibilities of poaching or boat accident, he added.
But, the autopsy performed by veterinarians revealed internal haemorrhage indicating that the mammal could have hit against a rock, mentioned Sathish. The decayed carcass was later buried in a pit (near the shore) that was sprinkled with bleaching powder and acid.
After a post-mortem done by veterinarians, the carcass was buried in a pit that was sprinkled with bleaching powder and acid.
According to forest officials, whale sharks which are the largest among the fish species have a life span of about 130 years and whale sharks that prey on planktons and fish eggs have a unique pattern of dots on their bodies. There are only about 7,000 whale sharks in the world, added they.