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Difficult But Necessary Work

WHOI biologist and veterinarian Michael Moore (red jacket) and David Taylor, a retired high school biology teacher and WHOI guest investigator, prepare to perform a necropsy on a right whale named Stumpy, who washed ashore in February 2004 near Nags Head, North Carolina. Researchers try to make the most of unfortunate circumstances,examining wounds for signs of lethal encounters with ships or fishing gear,and examining internal tissues for evidence of man-made or natural toxins. (Photo by Regina Campbell-Malone, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)