Stinky Whales

The gray whale in the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center smells just fine.

According to a report on Alaska Public Radio Russian subsistence hunters living across the dateline from Alaska are finding the meat of several recently harvested gray whales to emit a foul odor. Although the phenomenon has been observed in the past, the number of "stinkies" is increasing. Other marine mammals such as walruses have also been found with smelly meat as well. To biologists it's a mystery, yet perhaps traditional knowledge of indigenous groups may hold the answer.