© BHI ConservancyDead humpback whale on Bald Head Island
A juvenile humpback whale died after washing ashore Thursday evening on Bald Head Island. Crews and scientists removed the carcass Friday.
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.
Comment: See also: Flamingos migrating to Caspian Sea in mortal danger - lost in Siberia
Four lost flamingos fly north for the winter and turn up in Siberia
Flamingos Drop From Siberian Sky: Locals Mystified