© BHI ConservancyDead humpback whale on Bald Head Island
The 8-month-old female whale washed up along South Beach near the Shoals Club about 4 p.m. and died just after 6 p.m., according to Bald Head Island Conservancy's Communications Specialist Amber Walters.
Conservancy members watched over the body overnight, Walters said.
The University of North Carolina Wilmington's Marine Mammal Stranding team, led by Bill McLellan, arrived on the island Friday morning. The team performed a necrospy on the 28-foot long, 5,000- to 6,000-pound whale.
"There were a lot of killer whale bites on her and she had a fractured jaw," McLellan said. "There was no evidence of a vessel strike or human interaction that caused the fracture." It was determined her broken jaw was a result of being rammed by the killer whales, McLellan added.
The young whale was extremely emaciated and, with a fractured jaw, was unable to eat properly, McLellan said. During the necrospy an abscess was pulled from inside her mouth.
With the help of the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher and the Village of Bald Head Island, the teams used two backhoes to move the whale's carcass and bury its remains on the island.
The whale's skull and jaw will be exhumed at a later date for exhibit, Walters said.
Whales not uncommon
McLellan said it is quite common for whales to frequent the Atlantic Ocean near North Carolina during this time of year.
Whales mate in the Caribbean and spend time near North Carolina to feed, giving birth during the winter.
Thursday's incident wasn't the first time this year a humpback whale has washed up on nearby beaches. On Jan. 27, a dead juvenile humpback whale washed ashore at Kure Beach.
Two marine mammals washed ashore May 11, 2015, on Bald Head Island after a weekend of rough seas churned up by Tropical Storm Ana.
An infant female bottlenose dolphin found alive and stranded on East Beach was euthanized by members of the state's Marine Mammal Stranding Program from the University of North Carolina Wilmington arrived. Its remains were taken back to UNCW for further testing.
The other animal, a fully grown female beaked whale, was found deceased on the south end of the Brunswick County island. The carcass had some visible abrasions.
A male bottlenose dolphin that washed up alive July 10, 2015, at Kure Beach died as bystanders and marine life experts try to help it. The dolphin had several non-serious shark bites that were superficial, said Ann Pabst, marine biology professor at UNCW and co-director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Program.
And on Dec. 7, 2015, a nearly 11-foot-long juvenile female great white shark washed up near the Oceanic Pier in Wrightsville Beach and was recovered by UNCW's Marine Mammal Stranding Program. A necropsy the next day didn't reveal a cause of death for the shark.
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