(Gregory Town, Eleuthera) – Surfers and swimmers were surprised Saturday morning when a small whale beached itself at Surfer’s Beach near Gregory Town, Eleuthera. The mammal was first spotted by Elizabeth Heiberg-Glucksmann as it was still flopping around on the beach. “I didn’t know what I was looking at,” Heiberg-Glucksmann said. “I first thought it was a shark and I called my husband over to take a look at it.”
The pair managed to pull the barely alive mammal back into the water where it sank to the bottom and appeared lifeless.
Picture of the Beached whale shortly after it was spotted on Surfer’s Beach by Elizabeth Heiberg-Glucksmann. Tom Glucksmann is shown in the photo with the Pygmy Sperm whale.
Charlotte Dunn, of the Abaco-based Marine Mammal Research Center, confirmed from photos that it was a pygmy sperm whale. This is a rare species that is most commonly seen when it strands itself on beaches.
The whale was about six feet long and did not appear to have any noticeable injuries. Dunn said it appeared to be “skinny” for its species, maybe an indication of illness.
Members of the Eleuthera Surf Club were on hand and were able to share a rare and wondrous interaction with the whale.
Surfers returned the mammal to the ocean ecosystem where numerous sharks appeared. The mostly-eaten carcass was still in the water Sunday morning with some sharks still circling.
