10/07/2025
Earlier this week, our Discover Eden and Conserve Eden teams were involved in a sad but important scenario - the Plett Stranding Network that we are part of were called to respond to a stranded Pygmy S***m Whale, Kogia breviceps.
Our Director Mark, and current interns Ri, Jeanette and Ashley, responded and assisted on the ground in cold, windy and rainy conditions on Sunday late afternoon, but sadly, the whale could not be rescued.
On Monday, our current Marine Biology student group and our interns joined Dr Greg Hofmeyer and Numfundo from Bayworld Museum, along with Chanel Visser from CapeNature to assist in a necropsy on the animal. The Orca Foundation volunteers assisted with digging a hole deep enough to bury the whale.
Kogia breviceps, commonly known as the pygmy s***m whale, is a small, elusive cetacean found in deep offshore waters of tropical and temperate oceans worldwide. It is typically solitary or found in small groups of two to six individuals. These whales are deep divers, feeding primarily on squid and other deep-sea invertebrates, using suction to capture their prey. They surface infrequently and tend to avoid boats, which contributes to their secretive nature and the limited knowledge about their behavior in the wild.
Pygmy s***m whales are known for their unique defense mechanism — when threatened, they can release a cloud of reddish-brown fluid from a sac near the a**s, possibly to confuse predators and make a quick escape. They spend much of their time submerged and are rarely seen breaching or exhibiting surface activity. Due to their deep-sea lifestyle and low surface visibility, most of what is known about them comes from strandings and necropsy studies rather than direct observation.
The necropsy revealed some interesting results, the animal was an adult male, with an empty stomach, high stomach and jugular vein parasite load, large number of stomach ulcers and a fair number of cysts embedded in the muscle layers.
While a cetacean stranding is always a very sad event, much of what we know about this species has been learnt by necropsies like this performed by Dr Hofmeyer, and it was an incredible opportunity for our staff, students and interns to learn alongside experts in the field. We are proud to be part of the Plett Stranding Network, and commend the authorities and experts for their brilliant approach to this incidence, and the wonderful way they enables students, interns, volunteers and members of the public to learn while they worked.
With Mark Brown Chanel Gemae Visser Discover Eden ORCA Foundation Plett Whale Heritage Area Plett Hope Spot