Hundreds of people flocked to Ulladulla's Racecourse Beach over the weekend for a glimpse of a Pygmy Killer Whale - albeit a dead one.The carcass, measuring approximately 2.7 metres in length, washed up on Friday night.It was removed from the beach by National Parks and Wildlife Service personnel on Monday afternoon with the skull to be sent to the Australian Museum.Mike Jarman from the National Parks and Wildlife Service believes the carcass may have been floating for several days before being washed up on Racecourse Beach.While the carcass was still in a reasonable condition, it was decomposing quickly and starting to smell.Mr Jarman inspected the carcass on Saturday afternoon.He said its length, weight (approximately 200 kilograms) and the fact that it had very worn teeth all indicated that it was a fully-grown adult whale that most probably died of natural causes. Pygmy Killer Whales are relatively small in comparison to other whales and are often mistaken in the wild for other species including melon-headed whales and juvenile false killer whales.They have a rounded head with no beak and narrow gradually from the head to the tail fin.The Pygmy Killer Whale is considered extremely aggressive and has been known to attack humans and other whales. It has also been observed attacking, killing and eating other cetacean species such as the Common Dolphin.The species is considered naturally rare but is found in tropical and sub-tropical waters worldwide. They move in large groups and tend to steer clear of vessels with a preference for deep waters away from coastlines.Pygmy Killer Whales are rarely seen in the wild and are mostly known through strandings and net entanglements.Mr Jarman has been lucky enough to see Pygmy Killer Whales in the wild off Wollongong and told the Milton Ulladulla Times they looked like "torpedoes" in the water.
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