MACAPÁ, BRAZIL - The bones of a 16-meter sei whale that had run aground on an island in Pará state have been recovered by the Amapá Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (Iepa) for scientific study. The four-day operation is part of the institute’s Cetacean Characterization and Monitoring Project.

Experts confirmed the whale’s species through analysis. According to researchers, the remains will help expand scientific knowledge about the species.

The mammal was removed from a pit amid heavy rain and mud in a hard-to-reach area. According to local residents, the animal stranded while still alive and attempted to return to the sea but did not survive.

The Cetacean Characterization and Monitoring Project (PCMC) has been coordinated by Iepa since 2024. It was established at the request of Brazil’s environmental authority, Ibama, during the environmental licensing process for offshore research conducted by TGS in the Pará-Maranhão and Amazon River mouth basins.

Activities include beach monitoring to respond to strandings of whales, river dolphins and dolphins, as well as environmental education initiatives in local communities. The project also provides contact channels for reporting marine animal strandings.

Amazon Agency