Juvenile finback whale washes ashore in Massachusetts

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

A 45-foot-long, 10-ton juvenile finback whale has washed ashore in Provincetown, Mass.and died. Finback whales, also known simply as fin whales, are the world’s second largest whale species (coming in just behind the blue whale) and are endangered.

The large mammal appeared off the coast of Herring Cove Beach at approximately 3:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon, North District ranger Craig Thatcher told the Boston Globe. The whale washed ashore unusually quickly due to high winds.

Thatcher attributes the whale’s death to trauma, as there were no visible signs of external injuries. Researchers considered performing a necropsy on Thursday, but the waves were too harsh. The park service is developing a disposal plan for the whale’s body.

-- Kenan Frager

Video: Finback whales (note: not the one found in Provincetown) swim off the coast of Cape Cod. Credit: clownfysh via YouTube