Whale of Good Time

…at least for the parasites, thanks to Suzanne Thurman for sending along samples of the acanthocephalan parasite Bolbosoma turbinella from a Sei Whale stranded which stranded Delaware.   This parasite is known from several baleen whales (the big ones), including the humpback, blue (the largest whale), and northern right whale (one of the most endangered whales).  While it may not have caused the stranding the heavy burden would have some effect on the whale. Our lab focuses an parasites and parasitic diseases of stranded marine mammals and sea turtles.