OUTER BANKS, N.C. — An emaciated adult pygmy sperm whale that was euthanized after washing up on the shore in Corolla on the Outer Banks on Wednesday was infected with a parasite, according to Marina Doshkov, Jennette's Pier Marine Mammal Stranding coordinator.
Doshkov confirmed the infection of a crassicauda parasite — common with this species of whale — after a necropsy was performed by the Center for Marine Sciences and Technology.
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"[Crassicauda] invades the central nervous system," Doshkov said. "It starts around the neck area, goes up the spinal canal and into the brain."
The pygmy sperm whales, or kogia breviceps, is a deep-diving species that eat squid, crabs, shrimp and other creatures.
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