ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – A humpback whale that washed ashore in Atlantic City was buried on site after medical examiners from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center determined its cause of death.
Related: Large humpback whale washes up at the Jersey Shore
On Saturday, at around 8 am, the 33.5 foot long whale was spotted on the beach near Georgia Avenue, just off the Atlantic City boardwalk.
After workers from the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society performed a necropsy, the whale was moved near the dunes and buried on site.
“A team of eleven people was assembled to perform the necropsy, including MMSC staff and volunteers, and led by two staff members from Atlantic Marine Conservation Society in New York,” MMSC reported.
According to the necropys, the sub-adult whale measured 33.5 feet in length and was a female.
“Marks from a suspected ship strike were observed just behind the blowhole on the whale’s right side. When that area was opened and examined, a large hematoma (bruise) was observed. Samples of the affected muscle tissue were collected to be analyzed by a pathologists to confirm if this was a contributing factor to the whale’s death,” MMSC said today. “The other significant finding was scars from a possible entanglement, which were also sampled to confirm their origin. Otherwise, the whale appeared to be in good body condition with a thick layer of blubber, and fecal material in the colon. At the conclusion of the necropsy, the whale was buried on site.”
The final results to determine the cause of death could take several months to be returned.