Torpedo Ray carcass at Ellis Landing, Brewster MA

-
Dead Torpedo Ray in Michael's truck.

This morning, Jane from IFAW's Marine Mammal Rescue and Research program called Krill about a possible dead ocean sunfish at Ellis Landing in Brewster, MA. Jane indicated that the town's shellfish officer had made the initial report of this carcass. With a rising tide, Krill worried that she would not be able to find the carcass by the time she drove down to the Cape. With this in mind, Krill contacted Michael Sprague from MA Audubon at Wellfleet Bay and asked if he could get to the carcass and pull it above the high tide line to secure it for later examination.  

Close-up of dead torpedo ray. 
Michael dropped everything and immediately headed towards Brewster. When he got on site, he was surprised to find a dead torpedo ray, not an ocean sunfish. Torpedo rays also strand on our New England beaches in the fall but their numbers are not as high as those we observe for ocean sunfish or sea turtles. So finding a fresh carcass like this one was a great find. 



With the help of friends, Michael dragged the carcass to his truck and headed to the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary where Krill was to meet him. Krill had NECWA's portable weighing tripod in the truck and wanted to get an accurate weight on the carcass before it was put in the sanctuary's freezer for later examination. 

Carcass on a green tarp and net as we prepare it for weighing. 

Michael standing next to the torpedo ray.
Michael and Bob Prescott making sure the rigging is just right. 
Once back at the sanctuary, Director Bob Prescott helped unload, exam and weigh the torpedo ray carcass. This carcass weighed in close to 160 pounds which is lighter than most ocean sunfish, but still a good sized fish. 




Bob will be necropsying this carcass during Audubon's Marine Wildlife Stranding Field School this coming weekend. This is a weekend long course that MA Audubon at Wellfleet Bay offers each fall. Participants learn about the different marine animals that strand along our New England shore and participate in beach walks and animal necropsies. For more information, go to their website by clicking HERE.


So please keep a look-out for this unusual looking marine fish. If you see a stranded torpedo ray or sea turtle, immediately contact MA Audubon at Wellfleet Bay. If you see a stranded ocean sunfish, please call Krill at 508-566-0009. Thanks for your help. 

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 other small fis
Read more

Ocean sunfish stranding at Linnell Landing - October 9, 2010

-
Image
This afternoon, Chris called about an ocean sunfish that stranded dead at the end of Linnell Landing in Brewster, MA. Krill Carson along with two NECWA interns, Nick Schomburg and Caitlyn Dionne, headed down or met at Linnell Landing in the late afternoon. When they arrived on the shores of Cape Cod Bay, a crowd was gathering around the ocean sunfish carcass that was just off the beach parking lot. This sunfish was almost 6 feet in length and some of the beachgoers indicated that it had come up on the beach around 2 pm that day. At first, it was difficult to look at the deep propellor scars that cut through the dorsal (top) surface of the sunfish and extended into its left flank. But sunset was quickly approaching so this team focused at the task at hand, that was collecting body measurements as well as tissues from this carcass. Nick and Krill conducted a Level A exam on the carcass and Caitlyn took pictures as well as recorded data. Krill was able to determine that this animal was
Read more

Wareham Classrooms have 2 Headstart Diamondback Terrapins

-
Image
Wareham Classrooms have 2 Headstart Diamondback Terrapins Terrapin Crush prior to this turtle's release.  NECWA was able to work with 2 Wareham Teachers this fall and winter as they participated in our Diamondback Terrapin Headstart program. One teacher, Lara Schofield, works at the high school and has previously participated in NECWA's head start program. The other teacher, Tanya Bungert, a middle school teacher, was new to the program this season.  Over the course of the school year, NECWA staff joined teachers and their students on numerous occasions, providing on-site guidance for caring and documenting the hatchlings. On two occasions , NECWA came into the High School to work with and present lessons on terrapins to the afterschool program run by teacher Lara Schofield. Working directly with students and their teachers is so important for these types of community  projects for it allows NECWA to see how successful our head start programs are.   NECWA would like to thank th
Read more