Kids & Family

Researchers: Whale Had Rich History; Had 11 Offspring

The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies says "Istar" was 40, had 11 children.

This article was written by Erica Jackson.

A 30-ton, 48-foot long female humpback whale that washed up in East Quogue last week was the mother of all whales.

After some research, Kim Durham a senior biologist with the Riverhead Foundation, said researchers have learned that she has been tracked since the 1970s by the The Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies.

According to Durham, the whale adorns the name, "Istar," a name shared with the Babylonian goddess of fertility. 

Over her estimated 40-year life, Istar, Durham said, gave life to at least 11 documented offspring — her first known calf born in 1977. 

Though a necropsy was performed on Thursday, Durham said Istar, whose cause of death is still under investigation was able to be identified by the matching of pigmentation and shape of her ventral flukes (tail) to that of images archived within the Gulf of Maine Humpback Whale Catalog.

"This catalog contains detailed data on more than 2,500 whales that have been identified in this region. Information such as age, gender, relatedness, reproduction, behavior, distribution and human impacts are collected and utilized to increase the scientific knowledge and facilitate the management of this endangered species," said Durham.

Durham and her staff are still investigating Istar's cause of death, but during an examination it was revealed that she was in good body condition with a sufficient blubber layer, but had extensive cranial fractures, which may be related to a ship strike. 


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