THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 2, 1995 TAG: 9503310212
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
DEAD DOLPHIN WASHES UP: The carcass of an adult striped dolphin, a deep water dweller and a rare sight to resort residents, was found Thursday morning on the beach at the Navy's Atlantic Fleet Combat Training Center at Dam Neck.
The cause of death has yet to be determined.
The remains of the beached mammal was discovered by a base security guard about 8:30 a.m. and was turned over to the Virginia Marine Science Museum stranding team for examination.
Mark Swingle, assistant museum curator, said the dead animal, measuring nearly 7 feet long and weighing between 175 and 200 pounds, showed no outward signs of disease of injury, but appeared to be ``somewhat thin.''
The carcass was packed in ice and sent to the Smithsonian Institution's marine mammal program for further analysis, said Lynn Clements, Marine Science Museum spokesperson.
Striped dolphin, so named because of a charcoal gray stripe extending down the length of their spinal ridge, are rarely seen near the shoreline, said Clements. They normally range 50 to 60 miles off shore, near the edge of the continental shelf, in schools of 60 to 100 mammals.
``The last time we saw one here was about seven years ago,'' Clements said.
RELIEF FUND SET UP: A fund has been set up at NationsBank to help a Virginia Beach family who was burned out of their home Wednesday.
Donations can be mailed to or dropped off at any local NationsBank branch, and checks should be made payable to the ``Charlestown Neighborhood Relief Fund,'' sponsored by the Charlestown Neighborhood Watch Organization.
The fire destroyed the family's garage, living room, attic and exterior of the house.
For more information, call Lisa Santos at 479-0032. by CNB