Deep-water sea creature washes up on Georgia beach for first time. Then comes another

A deep-ocean creature washed up on a Georgia beach for the first time — and two days later, so did another.

The Tybee Island Marine Science Center received a report about a dolphin stranded on the shore Dec. 26, the center’s curator, Sarah Alley, told McClatchy News.

But when the team saw the creature, they realized it was actually a whale.

Alley went to the beach after the early morning call came in and waited for officials with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

“There was a person running, and he happened upon it, and his first instinct was to ask me, ‘Is this a bad omen?’” Alley said.

The state agency arrived and initially believed the small juvenile male was a pygmy killer whale, but based on the shape of the head and flipper, they later determined it was a melon-headed whale. The animal had nothing in its stomachs, and it presumably died from illness, according to the necropsy.

Biologists said it was the first documented stranding of the species on the Georgia coast.

Melon-headed whales typically stick to deep tropical waters far from land and sometimes travel in pods of more than 1,000 whales, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“Of course, it’s a big deal when any animal washes up,” Alley said. “But right now, we just know that it’s interesting because we’ve never seen those before.”

Then two days later, another melon-headed whale was discovered on Sea Island about 50 miles south.

This one was an adult male that had been scavenged by sharks after it died, according to biologists. The Department of Natural Resources said the animal also had nothing in its stomachs, and illness was a possible cause of death.

“Dolphins, whales typically are traveling in pods,” Alley said. “So in my opinion, it’s not completely shocking that another one was found because they likely were traveling together or near each other.”

In addition to the deaths reported in Georgia, the Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network in South Carolina said Jan. 3 that its team recently received two distress calls about melon-headed whales.

“South Carolina is out of range for these animals but warm currents can shift them sometimes or other causes — which are still under investigation,” according to the network.

Melon-headed whales, which grow to about 9 feet, have populations around the world, including off the coast of the southeastern U.S. and the Gulf of Mexico, according to NOAA.

Alley said it can be hard to draw conclusions about whether the deaths are linked and what specifically caused them.

“A lot of people immediately think, ‘Oh, it’s so sad, you know, this is awful,’ but because it is likely a natural cause, that is just the circle of life, that’s what a lot of us say,” Alley said. “But it gives us the chance to be able to do further research and figure things out.”

This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 2:58 PM with the headline "Deep-water sea creature washes up on Georgia beach for first time. Then comes another."