‘Rare’ sea creature — with ‘incredible escape tactic’ — washes ashore in England

A pygmy sperm whale — a rare and mysterious marine species — recently washed ashore in England.

The stranding took place at Bigbury Beach in South Devon, about 230 miles southwest of London, according to a statement from the Devon Wildlife Trust, a local conservation charity.

The whale, which was first seen floating in the ocean, was later discovered on the rocky shore, bloodied and scarred.

“​​It was kind of wedged in some rock pools,” a beachgoer who witnessed the animal told the BBC. “I think everybody was sad to see it but also fascinated to see this amazing creature ... you would rather see them swimming free.”

With a tractor supplied by a nearby farmer, the carcass was transported to a secure location. The Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) plans to collect it to conduct a necropsy to determine the cause of death.

Stephen Hussey, Devon Wildlife Trust spokesperson, described the incident as “incredibly rare,” adding it is “sad to see such a magnificent and rare mammal” wash ashore.

“This is one of only a handful of strandings for this species in the U.K. since CSIP records began in the 1990s,” the statement said.

What are pygmy sperm whales?

As their name implies, pygmy sperm whales are much smaller than their sperm whale relatives, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

They can grow up to 11.5 feet, weigh up to 1,000 pounds, and are distinguished by their robust bodies and small, curved dorsal fins.

“They are so rare, very little is known about them,” the Devon Wildlife Trust statement said. In fact, they were only discovered as a species in 1966.

“The whales (which live in the deep ocean) only come to the water’s surface when the sea and weather conditions are very calm,” according to NOAA. “As a result, scientists rarely see pygmy sperm whales at sea. This makes it difficult to estimate their minimum population size or current population trends.”

That said, it is believed that they hunt octopus, shrimp, crab and a number of fish species.

The small cetaceans also possess “an incredible escape tactic” that is generally associated with cephalopods (such as octopus or squid).

“To throw potential attackers off guard, they eject a reddish-brown cloud of intestinal fluid in the water before diving and making their escape,” the statement said.

Over 3 gallons of the liquid, which is stored in a special intestinal sac, can be released at a time, according to NOAA. This behavior has only been documented in only one other whale species.

The species faces threats from fishing entanglements, vessel strikes, ocean noise, marine debris and hunting.

In recent months, several other pygmy sperm whale strandings have been recorded around the world. In August, a pygmy sperm whale calf washed ashore in Honduras with a plastic bag in its stomach, and, in April, another calf stranded in North Carolina.

This story was originally published September 2, 2025 at 5:14 PM with the headline "‘Rare’ sea creature — with ‘incredible escape tactic’ — washes ashore in England."