This story contains information that some readers may find unsettling.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says reports of headless seals washing ashore on beaches across the province are the result of poor ice conditions off the coast this year.
A photo from the Bellevue Beach area shows several whitecoat carcasses washed ashore.
Ice conditions were very poor this year, and Dr. Garry Stenson says the pups probably drowned shortly after birth sometime in March.
(Submitted photo.)
The young animals drown when they are unable to stay on the ice surface and end up in the water, usually when they’re still nursing and haven’t yet developed the ability to swim strongly.
Stenson says the carcasses sink to the bottom, but over time they float back to the surface and wash up on beaches. A similar situation occurred off the Northern Peninsula a few years ago and more reports are also coming in from the Musgrave Harbour area.
He says the head of a seal is quite heavy, and their bodies are encased in blubber which keeps it intact. When the bodies begin to decompose, the “weak link” is their neck, which eventually leads to the head disconnecting from the body.
