Blubber is an amazing insulator. If the No Slope Inupiat can get to a "lost" whale anytime within the next 3 daysafter the kill, they'll take only the skin, which is out next to the cold water.
Inside the blubber layer, the whale will still be near normal body temp, in 32 degree water, trapped under the ice for 3 days. You can smell it right thru the ice- and the skin isn't all that good anymore either, tho still edible........
You can imagine what meat and innards kept at 100 degrees (or whatever) for 3 days is like....
las is correct. In fact, a friend of mine (Stu Innes, now deceased) published a cool little scientific paper "
How fast should a dead whale cool?" and the thermal modeling did indicate a surprising conservation of heat over many days.
This is my favorite scientific paper title! Closely followed by my favorite book title "
Consider a Spherical Cow" by Harte.
John (biologist, if anybody is wondering)
