Rare deep sea beaked whale dies on Guam shore

© Brent Tibbatts

Bile Bay: A rare 15-foot beaked whale died in Bile Bay in Merizo yesterday, March 23. Guam Department of Agriculture authorities are expected to conduct a necropsy today.

A very rare whale washed up on the Merizo reef yesterday.

The 15-foot beaked whale was still alive when it washed up in Bile Bay in Merizo.

Residents reported it to authorities at 10:30 a.m. When authorities arrived an hour later it was dead, said to Brent Tibbatts, Guam Department of Agriculture fisheries biologist.

Tibbatts said Guam Department of Agriculture authorities planned to haul it away yesterday evening at high tide to perform a necropsy at a Guam Department of Agriculture facility.

Tibbatts said no external cause of death could be seen on the whale's body. During the necropsy, scientists will collect tissues samples for DNA and study the whale's stomach to get a better understanding of its death.

According to Tibbatts, beaked whales are extremely rare everywhere in the world.

"They usually dwell at a depth of around 8,000 feet in open ocean. So, for one to come so close to our reef, it must have been very sick," Tibbatts said.

Although Guam has seen a number of beached whales in recent years, the last beaked whale to wash up on Guam's reef was in 2008 near the commercial port, according to Tibbatts.

It's illegal to remove body parts from the whale and Tibbatts discourages anyone from getting too close to the corpse for health and safety concerns.

Dead whales can pass communicable diseases to humans like brucella, morbillivirus and herpes, according to Pacific Daily News files.