A necropsy on dead sperm whales that washed up on the shore of Germany earlier this year revealed the ill-fated Giants had an array of plastics in their stomachs, according to researchers.
Four of the 13 whales that washed up on the coast of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany had the plastic and other man-made items in their stomachs, according to a statement from the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park.
Researchers found a fishing net, part of a car engine cover and a plastic bucket in the whales' stomachs, according to the March 23 statement.
"These findings show us the effects of our plastic society," Robert Habeck, the environment minister of Schleswig-Holstein, said in a statement. Adding that the animals suffer. "Some starve with full stomachs."
All of the whales were “bachelor” or juvenile males that were not yet sexually mature, according to the statement.
According to researchers, the whales died of acute cardiovascular failure, after they were stranded in the shallow waters of the Wadden Sea. According to the statement, their bodies pressed together in the shallows, which compressed their blood vessels, lungs and organs.
These aren’t the only whales that have washed up in the past few months. From January to February, 30 whales washed up on the coasts of the U.K., Germany, the Netherlands and northern France.
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