An unusual looking dolphin that was discovered dead in Hawaii and found to have consumed five fish hooks, did not die because of the sharp objects.
"They stink and they're a human health hazard and we lose valuable information, so it pains me to think that they could be sitting on beaches in the future," Kristi West, a Hawaii Pacific University professor told the Associated Press.
Scientists found the fishing tools in the male dolphin's stomach when performing a necropsy or autopsy performed on an animal to determine how it perished. The hooks consisted of ones used for recreation, and commercial purposes. Some were also new, while some looked like they were damaged by stomach acid the Associated Press reported.
The hooks did not appear to be circular shaped, or in line with the Hawaii longline fishermen's rule by the National Marine Fisheries Service, to help stop fisherman from catching dolphins.
The hooks are created to catch fish on the mouth, and therefore allow the dolphin to live rather than catching him on his body, and risking his death.
The dolphin also had the leftovers of a big marlin, tuna, and many kinds of squid in his mouth the AP reported.
The animal was discovered Oct. 5 at South Point on the state's big island. His blubber or body fat was transparent through some parts of his skin from the cuts his body endured after being washed ashore on the island's rough coastline.
The male dolphin measured 14-feet long, and is considered part of a tiny population of false killer whales which reside near Hawaii, and was named an endangered species last year.
