
FOGGIA, Italy, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Seven sperm whales that beached at Foggia, Italy, died from ingesting plastic in the ocean, a scientist at Tusica University said Friday.
"They must have mistaken the objects for squid, one of their favorite foods," said Giuseppe Nascetti, who teaches marine ecology at Tuscia University.
The plastic "strangled" the whales' stomachs, which also contained pieces of rope, tin cans and other containers, Nascetti told the Italian news agency ANSA in a story published Friday.
The whales, which weighed more than 13 tons each and were 30 to 45 feet long, came ashore a week ago in a rare beaching. All of them were dead by Sunday night.
The whales likely were to be buried at a place nearby where the water table was deep enough not to be contaminated by the decomposing bodies, Province spokesman Stefano Pecorella said.
The whales were to be buried, rather than cremated, so museums and research institutions could have access to their skeletons at the end of the decomposition process, estimated to take about a year.
|
|
|
| Additional Science News Stories | |
DINWIDDIE, Va., Feb. 22 (UPI) --
A shooting at a Walmart distribution center in Virginia Wednesday left a woman wounded and the shooter dead by his own hand, authorities said.
|
The latest news on today's hottest celebrities ...
|
HOBOKEN, N.J., Feb. 22 (UPI) --
Criminals are increasingly using the Internet to sell counterfeit medicines with some turning up in legitimate outlets such as pharmacies, a U.S. study found.
|
Controversial vaquero sculpture installed … Poll: Tooth Fairy leaves average $2.10 … Brawl in Detroit casino a hit online … Ad: 'Escort Quality, Hooker Pricing' … Watercooler stories from UPI.
|
| Stories | Photos | People | Comments |
View Caption