Pectoral fin of dead blue whale | Balaenoptera musculus | Sri Lanka

Pectoral fin of a dead blue whale, with a remora attached. This whale was most likely hit and killed by a large commercial vessel, which left a gaping wound in the cetacean's caudal area. Ship strikes may happen frequently in this area, just south of Mirissa in southern Sri Lanka. The shipping lanes here are very busy, with ships traveling at high speed through the feeding grounds of blue whales and other cetaceans.

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Filename: dead-blue-whale-pectoral-fin-Balaenoptera-musculus-sri-lanka-201204-0366.tif
Copyright: Copyright Tony Wu. All rights reserved. No duplication without prior written permission
Image Size: 3744x5616 / 60.2MB; https://www.photoshelter.com/support/license#rm; https://www.tony-wu.com/contact-tony-wu; Chordata Animalia Blue Whale Cetartiodactyla Cetacea Mammalia Mysticete Rorqual Marine Mammal Balaenoptera musculus Baleen Whale Mysticeti Indian Ocean Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda Balaenoptera musculus indica Balaenopteridae Endangered: IUCN Red List Sri Lanka Mirissa CITES Appendix 1 Pygmy Blue Whale Filter Feeder Ship Strike Dead Deceased Male Pectoral Fin
Contained in galleries: Blue Whales, Marine Life | Sri Lanka, Dead Marine Life, Ship Strikes, Strandings, Skeletons

Pectoral fin of a dead blue whale, with a remora attached. This whale was most likely hit and killed by a large commercial vessel, which left a gaping wound in the cetacean's caudal area. Ship strikes may happen frequently in this area, just south of Mirissa in southern Sri Lanka. The shipping lanes here are very busy, with ships traveling at high speed through the feeding grounds of blue whales and other cetaceans.