Capital Berg

Keeps People Up-To-Date

Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Log in
  • United States
  • Business
  • Health
  • Science
  • Technology
  • About CapitalBerg
    • Analysts & Contributors
    • Advertising
    • Contact US
    • Privacy Policy GDPR
    • Terms of Use

Pages

  • About CapitalBerg
  • Advertising
  • Analysts & Contributors
  • Contact US
  • Investor Relations
  • Privacy Policy GDPR
  • SEC Disclosure
  • Terms of Use

Recent Posts

  • Tennessee Rapist Breaks into Woman’s House Three Times the Same Night to Assault Her June 29, 2018
  • Mentally Ill Man Arrested After Breaking into Retirement Home to Grope a Woman’s Chest June 28, 2018
  • “Syndrome” Author Blake Leibel Sentenced to Life in Prison for the Murder and Torture of Girlfriend June 27, 2018
  • Michigan Dad to Be Sentenced in the Beating Death of 3-Year-Old Infant June 26, 2018
  • Ohio Patrolman Booted from Police After Pulling Over His Daughter and Boyfriend June 26, 2018
  • Utah Mayor Shares Heartwarming Letter of Man Apologizing for Stealing a Stop Sign 75 Years Ago June 25, 2018
  • Mississippi Man Beheaded Mother After A Spat over Credit Cards June 25, 2018

Fishermen Accidentally Caught A Surprising Two-Headed Porpoise

June 16, 2017 By Denise Ehrlich

porpoise

Fishermen in the North Sea made a surprising discovery as they caught a two-headed porpoise.

A group of Dutch fishermen made an unexpected and accidental find as they caught a two-headed porpoise. The strange animal was thrown back into the sea, as the team feared it would be illegal to keep it.

However, before returning it to the waters, they took a series of photos and then alerted researchers. Specialists analyzed this evidence and recently released a paper on the matter.

The Dutch fishermen were off the coast of the Netherlands, in the North Sea, when then made the surprising find. This bizarre looking creature came up as bycatch in their beam trawl net.

From the very beginning, the people onboard realized that the marine mammal was dead, and feared that it might be illegal to keep it. This would not be a causeless concern, as vaquitas, the most endangered species of marine mammals and part of the porpoise family is illegal to fish.

Bruinvis met twee koppen aangetroffen in visnet bij Stellendam https://t.co/qJtE16n8Hf pic.twitter.com/1D1Eguevlr

— SOSDolfijn (@SOSDolfijn) June 6, 2017

This Two-Headed Porpoise, One of Just Ten Ever Found

Cases of conjoined twins are extremely rare in cetaceans. In fact, this is just one of ten recorded cases with reliable sources.

A study on the matter offered further details and contextualized the event’s rarity. The paper is available in the online Journal of the Natural History Museum Rotterdam.

“The anatomy of cetaceans is strikingly different from terrestrial mammals with adaptations for living in the sea as a mammal. Much is unknown,” states Erwin Kompanje.

Part of the Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Kompanje is also one of the study paper’s authors. He adds that ‘it is a shame’ that researchers could not actually get hold of the strange specimen in itself. However, he also points out the valuable information gleaned from the photos.

Kompanje explains that their unstiffened tail shows that the twins died shortly after birth. A stiff tail is necessary for swimming. The two-headed porpoise also had hairs on its upper lips, which should have fallen off. Also, it presented a flat dorsal fin, instead of a vertical one. These are all signs that the specimen was still very young.

Kompanje believes that conjoined twins could be more common than believed. But the fact that they seemingly die shortly after birth and the immensity of oceans makes it hard to detect them.

Image Source: Wikimedia

  • About the Author

About Denise Ehrlich

Denise would describe herself as one more of an experience witness than a journalist. Soon after graduating, Denise worked as a journalist during the presidential campaign of Senior US Senator John McCain. Since then, much has changed, and Denise found herself gravitating towards world news.

Filed Under: Science

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 44 other subscribers

Recent Articles

sleep

Tennessee Rapist Breaks into Woman’s House Three Times the Same Night to Assault Her

June 29, 2018 By Denise Ehrlich Leave a Comment

police lights

Mentally Ill Man Arrested After Breaking into Retirement Home to Grope a Woman’s Chest

June 28, 2018 By Waleed Javed Leave a Comment

gavel

“Syndrome” Author Blake Leibel Sentenced to Life in Prison for the Murder and Torture of Girlfriend

June 27, 2018 By Andreas Petersen Leave a Comment

Woods

Michigan Dad to Be Sentenced in the Beating Death of 3-Year-Old Infant

June 26, 2018 By Marlene R. Litten Leave a Comment

patrol cruiser

Ohio Patrolman Booted from Police After Pulling Over His Daughter and Boyfriend

June 26, 2018 By Waleed Javed Leave a Comment

stop sign

Utah Mayor Shares Heartwarming Letter of Man Apologizing for Stealing a Stop Sign 75 Years Ago

June 25, 2018 By June Harris Leave a Comment

Butter knives

Mississippi Man Beheaded Mother After A Spat over Credit Cards

June 25, 2018 By Carol Harper Leave a Comment

XXXTentacion mugshot

Florida Authorities Arrested Suspect in Connection with Shooting of XXXTentacion

June 22, 2018 By Waleed Javed Leave a Comment

sunset over beach

Dallas Mother Accused of Beating Four-Year-Old and Dumping Body Into the Water

June 21, 2018 By Denise Ehrlich Leave a Comment

chicken Alfredo

Ohio Man Sentenced for Trying to Seduce Teenage Boy with Naked Pictures and Chicken Alfredo

June 20, 2018 By Marlene R. Litten Leave a Comment

bedroom

South Carolina Teen and Mates End Up In Slammer for Raping a Teenage Girl

June 19, 2018 By Waleed Javed Leave a Comment

cyberstalkin

California Man Arrested for Stalking Ex-Girlfriend, Hacking Her Online Accounts

June 19, 2018 By June Harris Leave a Comment

hammer

Naked Patient Sneaks out of Emergency Room to Bash Homeowner’s Head with Hammer

June 18, 2018 By Carol Harper Leave a Comment

screwdriver

Middle School Student Attacks Teacher During Class with Screwdriver

June 18, 2018 By Andreas Petersen Leave a Comment

Related Articles

  • Stephen Hawking watching a screen while sitting in his chair

    Stephen Hawking’s Family Sends His Final Message to Space

    Jun 15, 2018
  • super earth exoplanet half in shadow

    Is Gravity the Force Keeping Aliens from Visiting Earth? European Scientists Say So (Study)

    May 8, 2018
  • starbust stars and galaxies in the universe

    Thousands of Early Galaxies Revealed by Map of Old Universe (Study)

    Apr 10, 2018
  • statue of a neanderthal half shadowed

    Scientists Found a Possible Explanation for the Neanderthals’ Big Noses (Study)

    Apr 10, 2018
  • the planet venus

    Could the Clouds of Venus Be Holding Forms of Life?

    Apr 5, 2018
  • NASA and Parker Solar Probe Study

    NASA Ready to Send the Parker Solar Probe on its First Mission

    Mar 7, 2018
  • stars and galaxies in the universe

    Scientists Measure the Expansion Rate of the Universe, Challenge Physics?

    Feb 26, 2018
  • sunspots on the sun in close up

    Is the Sun Going to Get Dimmer and Cooler in the Next Decades? (Study)

    Feb 12, 2018
  • Two mummified brothers

    Egyptian Tale of Two Mummified Brothers Takes Unexpected Turn

    Jan 18, 2018
  • Futuristic robot holding its arms spread

    A New Type of Revolutionary Robotic Muscles Is Strong, Flexible, and Cheap (Study)

    Jan 7, 2018

Categories

  • Business
  • Deals
  • Health
  • Science
  • Technology
  • United States
  • World

Copyright © 2021 capitalberg.com

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Contact

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more.