Why do whales beach themselves? A vial of parasites in a Tasmanian museum may hold the answer
by Luca Ittimani from Environment | The Guardian on (#6Q168)
Pilot whale that beached itself in 1973 was infested with thousands of parasitic nematodes that may have eaten away at its blowhole
A vial of white parasitic worms left for decades in a Tasmanian museum may help solve a timeless mystery: why do whales strand themselves on beaches?
The worms were collected from the blowhole of a pilot whale that beached itself in 1973 and then stored in Launceston's Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery.
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