I found this seal washed up, what's happened to it's head?
Posted by Heavy_Ingenuity1371@reddit | marinebiology | View on Reddit | 9 comments
Apologies if not the right place to post this. I don't really know anything about marine things. Thought this was interesting.
Anyway it seems like it's head is severely decomposed/almost melted? Can't even really make out any features. Whereas the rest of it looks like it has only just died. Curious on why this may be.
Of course our theory is navy supersonic weapons testing lmao but I'm sure it's something more typical about decomposition or something that would specifically eat that area and leave the blubber.
StandardInfinite@reddit
Yeah this is a normal decomposition pattern. The head has several natural cavities and is way more exposed to scavengers that way
erin_tidepools@reddit
That makes sense about the cavities. We used to find dead seals on the beach near my hometown and the head was almost always the first thing to go — totally different from how the rest of the body looked. My family always said it was gulls but this is a way better explanation.
MoistInTheLoins@reddit
Well gulls are the scavengers doing it usually
deleted_by_reddit@reddit
[removed]
marinebiology-ModTeam@reddit
Your post was removed as it violated rule #8: Responses to identification requests or questions must be an honest attempt at answering. This includes blatant misidentifications and overly-general/unhelpful identifications or answers.
GirlInTheIslands@reddit
Seconding the comment about reporting this to your local strandings network. Google ‘report a stranded animal’ or ‘report dead marine mammal’ to find the relevant group. It helps scientists and conservationists work out if there are any trends or patterns to deaths in certain species and goes towards protecting them in the future
Crustaceous_Cam@reddit
Roughly half of the seals I’ve seen (dead) were headless. The head just doesn’t do very well.
foadtarts@reddit
Think about how many holes are in the head vs other body parts! Sinuses, ears, mouth typically are full of bacteria and seawater and when a seal dies especially if it’s in the water the head will decompose far more quickly!
Looks like a yearling harbor seal. It’s really important to report all strandings to your local stranding network. It helps them track casualties and do research! Depending on how long ago you found it it could still be worth a phone call.
-marine mammal stranding network first responder, puget sound.
kalsoy@reddit
That's gulls, crows and ravens picking out the delicious weak parts. The tongue is often also damaged.