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The stomach of a whale is supposed to be pretty disgusting – all those giant intestines and huge amounts of blood – but now authorities have found nearly 6 kilograms of plastic waste in the water. stomach of a sperm whale that was stranded on dry land. beach in southern Indonesia late Monday, November 19th.
The basket included more than 100 plastic cups, four plastic bottles, 25 plastic bags, two flip flops and hundreds of other pieces of plastic, said WWF-Indonesia in a statement posted on Facebook.
The whale, which measured 31 feet long (9.5 meters) was in such an advanced state of decomposition at the time that it was stranded on the beach that it was impossible for researchers to determine whether the enormous mass of plastic was what had finally killed the animal.
"Although we have not been able to determine the cause of death, the facts we are seeing are really dreadful," Dwi Suprati, coordinator of marine conservation at WWF-Indonesia, told Associated Press. [Whale Album: Giants of the Deep]
Sperm worms (Microcephalic physeter) are the only living species of their genus and the largest living species of toothed whale. Adult females measure up to 11 meters long and weigh 13 to 14 tonnes (11.7 to 12.7 metric tons), while adult males are much larger, up to 18 meters long and weighing 35 to 45 tons. (31.7 to 40.8 metric tons), according to the American Cetacean Society (ACS).
These marine giants feed primarily on squids, fish, rays and deep-water octopus and consume about 2,000 pounds. (907 kg) of food each day, according to the ACS. And, it seems that plastic is becoming a more common part of their diet.
Earlier this year, another dead sperm whale failed on the Spanish coast, probably killed by 65 pounds. (29 kg) of plastic waste discovered in the intestines.
Sperm whales are found in the world's oceans and it is not surprising that they are crisscrossing Indonesia. According to a 2017 study published in the Proceedings of the International Conference on Microplastics, the country lies in the middle of the so-called coral triangle, high spot of marine diversity and the area where the risk of plastic pollution in the 39 marine environment is the highest. Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea.
Since 2010, Indonesia is the second largest country in the world in terms of plastic pollution after China; According to a 2015 study published in the journal Science, it produces more than 3 million tons of plastic waste a year.
Indonesian Minister of Maritime Affairs responsible for coordination, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, told AP that the sperm whale should inspire the country's government and its citizens to significantly reduce the use of plastic.
He said the government was working to encourage stores to stop using plastic bags and for communities to inform students in the country about this problem. The Indonesian government aims to reduce the use of plastic by 70% by 2025, AP reported.
"This great ambition can be achieved if people learn to understand that plastic waste is a common enemy," said Pandjaitan.
Originally published on Science live.
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