Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

Photo of the week: dwarf whale in the Basque Country

The Basque Country Landing Network (SAREUS) received a warning on 21 December 2025, in the early hours of the morning, of the appearance of a dead cetacean on the beach of La Arena in Zierbena.

When necropsy is performed, it is discovered that the landing is a dwarf whale. It is the first time that a dwarf whale has been observed on the Basque coast. So far, no evidence has been given of this species.

The presence of shrimp in the Gulf of Bizkaia has been frequent, with some landings. The discovery of the dwarf whale, on the other hand, is new. The dwarf whale is not the offspring of a normal whale, but another smaller species. In total, there are three species: the Kashalote, the eternal giant of 15 meters, the Pygmy Kashalote of 3.5 meters and the Dwarf Kashalote, the smallest of 2 and a half meters. The pygmy has once appeared on the Basque coast, while the dwarf whale has been found for the first time.

The dwarf whale is very widespread in the world, but it has hardly been observed on the European coast. Not in the Mediterranean, not on the Atlantic coast. Only a few cases have been observed. One was found in Galicia, and now this case in Zierbena.