Necropsy of humpback whale Timmy on Danish island finds no clear cause of death, confirms the animal was female
A team of specialists spent more than six hours dissecting the famous humpback whale on the beach of Anholt, Denmark. The examination confirmed the animal was female but could not determine why it died.
The necropsy procedure
On Thursday afternoon, a team of experts in protective suits began the necropsy of the humpback whale known as Timmy on the beach of the Danish island of Anholt. The yellow-brown carcass was first examined and measured. It was then cut open with a long knife to release air from the heavily bloated body. Over the following hours, the whale was opened and dissected piece by piece, with organs and entrails laid out around the animal. An excavator gradually lifted parts of the carcass into prepared containers. By late evening, only bones and pieces of skin remained.
We have taken tissue samples, and they will now be analysed.
Findings on sex and pregnancy
One definitive finding emerged: Timmy, initially assumed to be a young male when first sighted off the German Baltic coast, is female. A uterus was discovered during the examination. The whale had not been pregnant in recent months, according to the team.
Cause of death remains open
No clear cause of death could be determined during the examination. Danish biologist Charlotte Bie Thøstesen, who was present at the necropsy, told reporters that this is not unusual, as it is often very difficult to establish a cause of death in carcasses in this state. No injury was visible, though the advanced decomposition of the animal, dead for weeks, may have obscured signs. Parasites were found but were not responsible for the death. An inspection of the mouth and stomach revealed no nets or other foreign objects.
It is often very difficult to establish a clear cause of death in carcasses like this one.
Tissue samples and next steps
The team took samples from the kidneys, liver, and other tissues. Results from laboratory analysis are expected only in several months. The containers holding the remains are scheduled to be transported away at the beginning of the following week, as limited opening hours at the relevant disposal companies make a weekend removal impractical, according to Morten Abildstrøm of the Danish Nature Agency. The experts themselves were set to leave the island on Friday morning.
The backstory
Timmy was first sighted in the Baltic Sea in early March and stranded several times along the German Baltic coast, beginning at Timmendorfer Strand, which gave the whale its name. A private initiative, against expert advice, transported the weakened animal on a barge toward the North Sea and released it. The rescue attempt initially appeared successful, but a dead whale later washed up off Anholt and was identified as Timmy. The carcass had been drifting in the water for more than two weeks before the necropsy.
