A dwarf sperm whale was discovered dead on the beach at Vunito Goloa Village in Ra on Thursday morning. This species is the smallest in the whale family, even smaller than many dolphins.
Villagers who stumbled upon the deceased whale noted that it appeared to be injured. Village headman Josefa Manakiwai estimated the whale’s length to be around 3.6 meters. He mentioned that villagers returning from morning fishing found it on the shore and believed it had been dead since the previous night or early that morning.
Manakiwai speculated that the whale might have been attacked by a large shark in the ocean, citing visible marks on its body as evidence. He remarked that such incidents are rare, stating that whales typically do not strand themselves or wash ashore unless they have been harmed at sea.
This event marks the second occurrence of a whale washing ashore in this area, with the first incident having taken place in 1993 when another injured whale was found.
Rusiate Waqata, the service center manager from the Ministry of Fisheries in Rakiraki, confirmed that the marine mammal was indeed a dwarf sperm whale, noting that it likely got bitten before being stranded on the shore.