A new standard system on performing necropsy on beached killer whales improved their data collection for stranded orcas by as much as 15 folds, according to a report released by the University of California. Researchers also reported that the new system gave a better understanding for studying orcas in different stages of their lives.
Orcas also called killer whales are apex predators, as well as a flagship conversation species, seeing them dead and stranded on beaches are just sad moments, said the co-developer for the orca necropsy system Joe Gaydos.
It was in 2004 when the standardized system was first used for collecting data from stranded dead killer whales. It was able to improve efficiency of data gathering from a mere two percent to 33 percent. Before the system came in, one in 50 stranded whale cadavers are only to be analyzed; now one out of three will get a full assessment.
To establish the positive results of their new system, the researchers re-examined beached killer whales data from as far back as 1925. Even though killer whales distributed all throughout the world, very few cadavers are ever found. According to reports, in the last 20 years, only an average of 10 orca carcasses a year have been found washed ashore across the North Pacific Ocean. More than 80 percent of cases of orcas getting stranded end up fatal, researchers also added that much information can be derived from their carcasses, such as overall life history, health, and genetics.
Each of the orcas left stranded gives a one of a kind opportunity to improve our understanding of the species, told Stephen Raverty, a veterinary pathologist from the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture, in an interview with Nature World News. Although in most cases, they no longer look like whales when found because of the advance stages of decomposition.
