Whale, 4 dolphins strand on S.C. beaches

A pygmy sperm whale and four dolphins have washed up along the coast in the past week. But the animals were found so far apart that wildlife biologists don't think the strandings are related.

The whale was discovered Saturday at North Litchfield Beach; the dolphins have been seen since Thursday. One of the dolphins was found at Abbapoola Creek off the Stono River on Johns Island, another in Bull's Bay off Awendaw. The other two were found on Hilton Head Island and near Lemon Island outside Beaufort.

The run of strandings is unusual but not alarming yet, said Wayne McFee, of the National Ocean Service's marine mammal stranding program. Strandings of both species are seen year round.

"The fact that they're spread out around the state, it could be just that good weather has put people back on the water and they're spotting them," McFee said. But program personnel are watching to see if it becomes a trend.

A necropsy on the whale found a heart condition and liver trouble, and toxicology tests are under way to see if a cause can be pinpointed.

No results were available yet on the dolphins, but the mammals have been found to carry startling amounts of man-made pollutants as well as natural viruses.

Not a lot is known about pygmy sperm whales. They're not considered endangered, but they're rarely seen at sea. Strandings of the small whales are not uncommon, with as many as four or five per year in South Carolina. Natural toxins and man-made pollutants have been identified as causes.

A nursing mother and her calf were found on Sullivan's Island in June 2009. The mother had swallowed a black plastic trash bag and died of starvation. The calf couldn't live without her.

The 10-foot-long, 1,100 pound male was found rolling in the incoming tide by Litchfield beachgoers.

"It's very sad," said Lloyd Mackall, of Murrells Inlet, who photographed the stranding with his wife, Kay. "You know it's nature and that it's inevitable something will happen. But it's sad."

Reach Bo Petersen at bpetersen@postandcourier.com or 937-5744.