Huge whale shark washes ashore in Pakistan

[drrich2]

Minor technical point; as I recall, rigor mortis 'comes and goes' but once a body stiffens up, it doesn't stay that way indefinitely (at least in humans). My point is, just because the body doesn't look stiff in photos doesn't mean it's 'pre-rigor mortis.'

That said, I have no idea whether & to what extent it would affect a dead whale shark.

Richard.

 

[fjpatrum]

Well, if whale sharks have a cartilaginous (sp??) skeleton, like other sharks, having rigor mortis wouldn't look nearly the same as when animals with bones look. Rigor mortis is a result of the stiffening of muscles and tendons attached to bones that don't flex the way cartilage does. How much can your ear bend compared to your forearm, for example?

Either way, this is a sad situation. As for the locals, I'm sure they will eat whatever of it they can. I would. I wouldn't and don't condone hunting protected animals but once it's dead, for whatever reason, it's still food.

 

[LowDrag]

Minor technical point; as I recall, rigor mortis 'comes and goes' but once a body stiffens up, it doesn't stay that way indefinitely (at least in humans). My point is, just because the body doesn't look stiff in photos doesn't mean it's 'pre-rigor mortis.'

That said, I have no idea whether & to what extent it would affect a dead whale shark.

Richard.

I fish for Salmon and Steelhead regularly here in the PNW. Once rigor sets I have never seen it go away. I have pulled fish out of the boat that were as stiff as boards.

 

[Bratface]

I was glad to have the opportunity to see and swim with whale sharks. Makes me wonder why this one died. It should have been surrendered to a vet or someone who could determine the cause of death. Sad to know that it was sold for so much money.

 

[drrich2]

LowDrag:

I fish for Salmon and Steelhead regularly here in the PNW. Once rigor sets I have never seen it go away. I have pulled fish out of the boat that were as stiff as boards.

Interesting. From the Wikipedia entry on Rigor Mortis:

In humans, it commences after about three to four hours, reaches maximum stiffness after 12 hours, and gradually dissipates until approximately 48 to 60 hours (three days) after death.^[2] Warm conditions and physically strenuous activity can speed up the process of rigor mortis.

I'm guessing Pacific Northwest waters are fairly cold. It would be interesting to see how long it'd take one of those dead fish to get 'soft.'

Richard.

 

[beaverdivers]

It was interesting that they thought it was a " Whale type creature " w/ echo location.

My guess is the average person in the world or the US doesn't know about whale sharks, much less appreciate them.

This ignorance is part of the problem with sharks in general.

Until people believe a shark is worth more alive than dead, the outcome is sad.

We just need to turn them all into snorkelers or divers!

 

[Quero]

---

---

A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

Off topic discussion of ethnic slurs has been removed.

---