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Coming hours critical for rare whaleBy CHRISTINA HEADRICK © St. Petersburg Times, published October 15, 1998 The 13 1/2-foot whale, which looks like a huge dolphin with two tusk-like teeth jutting out of its bottom jaw, was not eating or swimming on its own, said Mary Kmetz, a spokeswoman for the Sarasota lab and aquarium. Mote staff have tried to sustain the whale by feeding it Pedialyte, a liquid usually used to rehydrate sick human babies. The whale, which would normally get the water and salt that it needs by eating fish and squid, is being nourished through a tube down its mouth to its stomach, Kmetz said. The young adult male whale also is receiving antibiotics. "The next 24 to 48 hours will be very critical," Kmetz said. After the whale stranded itself Tuesday morning, Clearwater Marine Aquarium staff cared for the whale all day, making sure it kept breathing and keeping a growing crowd at a safe distance. Ultimately, they determined the whale's best chance of surviving was to make the trip to the Sarasota facility, which had a lagoon large enough for the whale. Little is known about beaked whales because they live off shore and rarely get stranded. The Clearwater aquarium has dealt with three such whales in the past three years, but none survived to return to sea. The Sarasota facility also has a record of one beaked whale at least 10 years ago that never survived rehabilitation. Pictures of the whale's face were sent to the Smithsonian Institution on Wednesday for help in pinpointing the exact species, tentatively identified as Gervais' beaked whale.
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rarely seen beaked whale remained in critical condition at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota Wednesday night, after being rescued near a Redington Shores pier on Tuesday.
