6m-long baleen whale carcass found floating in Tanjong Pagar, 1st in S'pore in 10 years

For the first time in a decade, a whale carcass has washed up in Singapore waters.

On Sep. 6, the decomposing remains of a baleen whale was found in the waters off Tanjong Pagar, said the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in a Sep. 16 statement.

The carcass measured around 6.3 metres in length and is estimated to weigh about 6,000kg.

It would have measured between nine to 12 metres long when it was alive, scientists estimate.

It has since been recovered and is being studied at LKCNHM.

Rare in Singapore

The last time a whale carcass washed up in Singapore was in 2015 — incidentally, the same year the museum was opened.

A sperm whale, named Jubi Lee, was found off Jurong Island and was the first record of a sperm whale in Singapore waters.

It has been on display at LKCNHM ever since.

While rare, baleen whales have been recorded in Singapore waters before, the museum said.

Carcasses have previously been observed off Pulau Bukom in 1980, and near Pedra Branca in 2009.

Baleen whales, which include species such as the 6.5m-long pygmy right whale and the 30m-long blue whale, are widespread across the world's oceans.

Many baleen whale species undertake annual migrations between polar feeding grounds and tropical breeding areas.

Being studied

After the initial discovery on Sep. 6, the carcass drifted towards the Marina Bay Cruise Centre on Sep. 12.

To prevent it from being lost to the open sea, museum stuff worked with the Singapore Salvage Engineers to secure the remains.

Currently, the whale's age, sex, and cause of death remains unclear.

But tissue samples have been collected for future genetic analysis, and more findings will be shared in due course, the museum said.

Darren Yeo, the head of LKCNHM, remarked on the timing of the discovery, a decade after the museum's inception.

"It is both moving and serendipitous that another whale carcass should arrive in our waters during our 10th anniversary year — exactly 10 years after the museum’s launch and the discovery of Jubi Lee — just as we have been reflecting on a decade of research, public engagement, and conservation," he said.

Top image from LKCNHM