A 30-foot humpback whale was found dead on the shores of Fire Island on Friday morning — at least the 18th doomed humpback discovered on the East Coast this year.
The tragic majestic mammal was found belly-up on the eastern side of Smith Point County Park in Shirley, Long Island, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
The animal’s body has been collected for a necropsy, NOAA told Patch in a statement.
The cause of death is unknown.
“Information gathered through this examination will include measurements and photographs, along with biological samples collected to learn more about the whale’s physiology and document any factors that may have contributed to the animal’s death,” a rep told the outlet.
The whale washed up on its back, with its striped underbelly showing on the beach.
A 30-foot humpback whale was found dead washed onto the Long Island shore Friday morning. News12
The whale, found belly-up, will undergo a necropsy to determine its cause of death. News12
The majestic animal was found on the eastern side of Smith Point County Park in Shirley on Fire Island. News12
The cause of death of the whale is unknown. Atlantic Marine Conservation Society
The whale washed up on its back, with its striped underbelly showing on the beach. Atlantic Marine Conservation SocietyThe large animal was found on the shoreline as waves rocked its body, News 12 helicopter footage shows.
At least 18 humpbacks have been found dead along East Coast beaches this year.
In mid-May, another humpback whale was found dead on the Long Island shore.
The 18- to 20-foot whale was found by bystanders on the shores of Robert Moses State Park around sunrise floating in the water about a mile off Ocean Beach on Fire Island.
NOAA has deemed the occurrences an “unusual mortality event.”
Almost 40 “large” whales have also washed up on the East Coast, according to NOAA.
