19th-century weapon found in whale

[bicentennial_baby]

BOSTON -

A 50-ton bowhead whale caught off the Alaskan coast last month had a weapon fragment embedded in its neck that showed it survived a similar hunt — more than a century ago. Embedded deep under its blubber was a 3 1/2-inch arrow-shaped projectile that has given researchers insight into the whale's age, estimated between 115 and 130 years old.

"No other finding has been this precise," said John Bockstoce, an adjunct curator of the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

Calculating a whale's age can be difficult, and is usually gauged by amino acids in the eye lenses. It's rare to find one that has lived more than a century, but experts say the oldest were close to 200 years old.

The bomb lance fragment, lodged a bone between the whale's neck and shoulder blade, was likely manufactured in New Bedford, on the southeast coast of Massachusetts, a major whaling center at that time, Bockstoce said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070612/ap_on_sc/century_old_whale

:wow: Both for the finding of the weapon, and the age of the whale....wow.

[idgiehkt]

1. this is so sad

:(

The killed it... :cry:

I didn't know they lived that long, the article says they can live 200 years. Wow.

[bicentennial_baby]

2. i agree that it is sad...

but, also fascinating, regardless... x(

:pals:

[idgiehkt]

5. you know the whale had to be thinking

"not this shit again" when it got hit with the weapon. I can't believe they live that long, I'm still in awe over that. 200 years on this planet would probably turn me into a serial killer or something, lol.

[bicentennial_baby]

7. Same here!

That's the part that really gets me gets me...amazing.

[AggieGal]

3. Wow, whales can live a long time.

[bicentennial_baby]

4. I had no idea!

:o

[Shakespeare]

6. I just saw that, and had the same reaction.

In fact, sent it to my sister and just said "Wow." :7

I had no idea they had a lifespan like that (and I'm pretty up on my whale trivia).

[bicentennial_baby]

8. Toally amazing.

Hi you! :hi:

[Shakespeare]

9. Have you ever gone on one of the whale watch cruises out of P-town?

I spent a couple of weeks on the cape several years ago (then-boyfriend's parents had a place in South Wellfleet), and we did that one day (end of July, if I recall). AMAZING experience--we saw several humpbacks, including a mother and calf who came right up to the boat and watched us for awhile.

[bicentennial_baby]

10. Many a time!

Those were my grade school field trips! :bounce:

I want to go again soon...They have them out of Boston, from the Aquarium, but I want to go to P-Town, as they go farther out, and your chance of seeing whales is much higher overall.