Ecologist - Writer - Photographer
Sperm whale-dead-Joppa-Portobello-Edinburgh-Scotland-Physeter macrocephalus-14

The sperm whale carcass swung around as the water rose around it with the rising tide. Here to the left foreground you can see the characteristically narrow lower jaw, and the teeth, which show that it is a toothed whale, rather than a baleen whale. The latter have hair-like plates that they use to filter feed on small crustaceans (krill). The sperm whale is more carnivorous, and has been known to predate upon giant squid.

Location: Joppa, Portobello Beach, with Cockenzie Power Station, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

Sperm whale-dead-Joppa-Portobello-Edinburgh-Scotland-Physeter macrocephalus-14

The sperm whale carcass swung around as the water rose around it with the rising tide. Here to the left foreground you can see the characteristically narrow lower jaw, and the teeth, which show that it is a toothed whale, rather than a baleen whale. The latter have hair-like plates that they use to filter feed on small crustaceans (krill). The sperm whale is more carnivorous, and has been known to predate upon giant squid.

Location: Joppa, Portobello Beach, with Cockenzie Power Station, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom