Ocean Sunfish Necropsy on October 25, 2009 - Sandwich Beach, MA

-

NECWA staff, interns and friends returned to Sandwich Beach to find the ocean sunfish that had stranded on the beach just the other day. When any marine animal strands and then washes onto a beach, it is a very sad event and one that we try to prevent whenever possible. In fact, NECWA had responded to this same ocean sunfish the other day when it was still alive but was in danger of stranding on this beach. Although we were not successful in saving this fish, the carcass can still provide valuable information to us so in an sense, their death is not a waste. 


So starting around 10 am, Krill, Nick Schromburg and Cory Heston began a 5 hour long process of conducting an external and internal examine of this animal. They were assisted by other NECWA staff members and friends including Belinda Rubinstein and Rick. Many people walking the beach were very curious as to what was going on, and this also provided an opportunity for NECWA to educate and involve many members of the general public, both young and old.


As this team collected measurements on the ocean sunfish, it was apparent that this was a very large individual close to 6 feet in length. Due to this animal's great size, it is impossible to weigh this fish on the beach, let alone try to move it. But the fish was probably close to 400 pounds in weight. 

As soon as the external exam was finished, Cory started the internal examination by cutting into the ventral (bottom) part of the ocean fish. These fish are not easy to necropsy since they have a very thick layer of hard reticulated collagen just under the thin, gray skin. But results from this necropsy provided a number of valuable bits of information.  


This fish turned out to be a female that looked in excellent condition. This fish had a very low parasite load and had very thick reticulated collagen. The function of this collagen layer is not clear, but it may help this tropical fish stay warm in our cold waters or it could be important in allowing this fish to dive deep in search of its favorite food, jellyfish and other gelatinous critters.


All in all, this necropsy was a huge success for it helped NECWA staff better understand the basic body plan, internal and external, of this very strange and unusual species. And many tissue samples were collected and these samples will be shared with other scientists also studying this species.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Electric Torpedo Ray of New England

-
Image
The Shocking Ray of New England Blog by  Coleman Earner - December 21, 2020 Dead Torpedo Ray in Brewster, MA Torpedo Rays are a genus of rays that are part of the Order  Torpediniformes (electric rays). In reference to local sightings, the most commonly seen torpedo ray in the Cape Cod region is the Atlantic Torpedo ( Torpedo nobiliana ). They are cartilaginous fish (most similar to the structure of sharks and skates) with a flat and rounded disc-like structure. As suggested by their order, torpedo rays are most commonly known for their ability to discharge electricity of up to 220 volts from both pectoral fins (pectoral fins are flat and expanded and fused to the head area) as a self defense mechanism or as a means of capturing prey. Their feeding strategy consists of burying themselves under the sand and waiting for unsuspecting prey to wander by.  Dead Torpedo Ray on a Cape Cod Beach. Torpedo Rays feed mainly on benthic/pelagic fish such as flounders, damselfish, and o...
Read more
-
Image
NECWA Shark Week In Review Written by Emily Gerrior Intern Sarah helping at the blockprinting table. On July 24, 2024 and July 26, 2024, NECWA hosted two events themed around Shark Week. The first was at the Middleborough Public Library and the second was at the Bridgewater Public Library. For both events, we set up stations where attendees could make their own authentic shark tooth necklaces and create colorful block prints of sharks and other marine wildlife.  Free educational material for all Along with our assortment of diamondback terrapin, horseshoe crabs, and ocean sunfish artifacts, we also had shark jaws and a real fossil megalodon tooth on display.  Marine wildlife artifacts on display As soon as we opened the doors to both events, attendees poured into the room! The megalodon tooth and the shark tooth necklace station proved to be extremely popular among younger attendees. We also received several questions about our other marine life artifacts, which we w...
Read more

Ice Cream Social for NECWA Interns and Volunteers

-
Image
INTERN AND VOLUNTEER ICE CREAM SOCIAL AND FUN DAY   Written by Emily Gerrior Last Sunday (July 14 th , 2024), interns and volunteers were treated to an ice cream social, courtesy of NECWA. This event took place on the lawn outside NECWA’s Marion Field office. This event marked my first time meeting many of the interns outside of our weekly ZOOM meetings. I was also pleased to see many of the interns I had already worked with during previous NECWA educational events.  There was plenty of ice cream of all flavors to go around, served with reusable bowls and spoons, as well as popsicles, a fruit salad, chips, and cool drinks. After days of sweltering heat, it was certainly nice to have a cold treat!  Additionally, there were games for us to play. Some attendees chose to play cards and Jenga, while others participated in lawn games such as cornhole. We also swapped stories about NECWA events and successes.  Throughout the social, we had surprise visits from several (ador...
Read more