“The IWDG arrange regular postmortems on behalf of the Marine Institute but only on specific species for specific purposes,” Berrow says. Once a whale, or part of the mammal, has been secured for postmortem there can be a delay before detailed investigations take place. The small Arctic whale that often has a distinctive tusk protruding like a fencing sword from its rounded head has not been found in Ireland before. This female narwhal washed up on a beach in Donegal was first recording of the species in Irish waters. “The seas are getting too warm for ice and too warm for the food the whales feed on.
