© myFoxNYWhale Washes Ashore On Long Island
A necropsy- or an autopsy performed on an animal- will be done on a massive whale that washed ashore in Jones Beach. Results from the necropsy should help biologists determine what caused the whale's death.
The young, humpback whale was likely dead for a week when it came ashore on Thursday morning at Jones Beach State Park, east of field six.
SkyFoxHD was overhead at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday as the whale lay motionless and partially buried in the sand.
Animal rescue crews could be seen surrounding the 2-5 year old, dead whale which was approximately 30 feeet long. The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation was on the scene.
In April, a 30-foot-long baby whale weighing approximately 13 tons became stranded on Main Beach in East Hampton, Long Island and later died.
Beached whales are found on the east end of Long Island every year or two. Beached dolphins are more common, and have a "good success rate" because they can be taken to a rehabilitation tank.
According to NOAA , the humpback whale can reach up to 60 feet in length. There are only an estimated 550 humpback whales in the waters off of the northeast coast of the United States. They spend summer months in the waters, consuming up to 3,000 pounds of food per day.
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