Dead pilot whale emaciated, dehydrated

BAR HARBOR – A young pilot whale that died off Belfast this week suffered from malnutrition, dehydration and infection, according to the researcher who conducted an autopsy on the animal.

The cause of death was not determined during Thursday’s autopsy, but the whale was clearly in poor health, said Judy Allen, associate director of Allied Whale at College of the Atlantic. Allen took tissue samples that will be sent to a pathology lab for testing before any conclusions are reached.

The young male became separated from his mother before being weaned and did not yet have teeth, Allen said. The creature had multiple rake marks that could have been caused by other pilot whales, she said. Pilot whales usually travel in groups; it’s unclear why the 300-pound, 7-foot whale became separated from the others, she said.

Pilot whales, even adults, usually do not fare well when separated from the larger groups, said Greg Early of the Marine Environmental Research Institute in Blue Hill.