By Sandy Dubpernell | Stranding Network Coordinator and Archivist
The Orca Network/Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network and Baylor University in Waco, Texas have been cooperating on a harbor porpoise study. Two harbor porpoises that died on local beaches were necropsied by the Central Puget Sound Stranding Network crew. The cause of death of one female porpoise was determined to be verminous pneumonia. The COD of the second porpoise was undetermined.
Both carcasses were flensed, frozen and shipped to Baylor University where Dr. Stephanie Norman, a member of the CPSMMSN crew and Post Doctoral Fellow at Baylor, and Drs Stephen Trumble and Sascha Usenko with the Departments of Biology and Environmental Science, initiated a project to rearticulate both porpoise skeletons for educational display at the University. Thirteen undergraduate students, studying various associated scientific disciplines, took part in the project. None of these students had ever seen or heard of a harbor porpoise so this became a wonderful learning experience for them.
In addition, another harbor porpoise skeleton was recently cleaned for the CPSMMSN by a dermestid beetle colony at the Burke Museum in Seattle following tissue sampling for their Genetic Resources Collection. This skeleton will be rearticulated by local volunteers from CPSMMSN, Orca Network and the Langley Whale Center Youth Team for eventual display at our Langley Whale Center.
As our stranding season heats up for the summer months we have had additional requests for intact carcasses of seals and porpoises, as well as skulls and tissues from all marine mammals that wash up dead on our beaches. It is exciting to know that whatever we collect will add to the knowledge of the physical conditions, environmental impacts, (example toxin levels), physiology, neurology and genetics of these species.
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