Whale bones were discovered by Ralph Merry in May 2008 in the mud off Cobmarsh Island at the entrance to Mersea Quarters. They are the lower jaw bones of a sperm whale - you can see the sockets where the teeth would have been located.
The bones are believed to be about 200 years old. They were cleaned up and identified with the help of Jerry Bowdrey from Colchester Natural History Museum.
No other whale has such a distinctive jaw with a long row of teeth, which the sperm whale uses when feeding on squid, octupus and occasionally fish. Sperm whales normally feed in deep waters or near the continental shelf, so it is unusual to have one washed up on the shallow Essex coast. However there are two historical reports of Sperm Whales in Essex. One was brought ashore at Blackwall in 1732 and two were washed up at unknown locations following an east coast storm in 1763. It is possible that these bones are from the 1763 storm.
More information about sperm whales. They remain one of the most mysterious of the great whales, living in remote deep waters; They are the largest of the toothed whales and prey mainly upon deep water squids and fishes. When foraging, they surface for about 10 minutes and then diving for about 40-minutes. Dives up to 2500m and possibly 3200m have been noted, as well as dives lasting as long as 138 min! They have the largest brain on earth and are remarkable for their strong social bonds. They possess a bulky head, yet a very narrow lower jaw. Sperm whales have teeth only on their lower jaws, all the same shape.
Date: 14 May 2009