Seaside park whale buried at the beach, initial tests hint at possible cause of death — Photo: Michael McKenna, MMSC

SEASIDE PARK, NJ – A deceased humpback whale that washed ashore on the beach in Seaside Heights on Thursday was buried under the sand at the beach by borough workers, but not before technicians with the Marine Mammal Stranding Center performed tests.

According to the MMSC, the 30-foot-long female whale suffered a fractured skull and sharp force trauma consistent with propeller wounds.

“Although the animal was fairly decomposed, teams were able to determine that she was a female, in good body condition, and document several internal and external injuries,” MMSC said in a statement. “These include bruising on the head, sections of fractured skull, and sharp force trauma consistent with propeller wounds on the right lateral side. Evidence of previous entanglement scars were also documented.”

The MMSC also said their necropsy team obtained samples from the wound sites, as well as other parts of the whale, that will be sent out for further testing to determine if the injuries were sustained pre or post-mortem. Full results may not be available for many weeks.

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