© Kevin CooteThe dead whale washed up on Lowestoft North beach.
The 3m-long (10ft) mammal was found on Lowestoft North Beach on Saturday morning.
Experts believe it is a Sowerby's beaked whale - a species of whale which was named after naturalist James Sowerby.
They are rarely sighted and are typically found in deep waters.
Stranded Sowerby's beaked whale reported in Lowestoft this morning- one of a pair sighted close to shore last week. Heading out shortly to examine and sample with @Perkins16Matt this afternoon. Many thanks to colleagues from @BDMLR and @MCA_media. More to follow. #CSIoftheSea pic.twitter.com/3LSvfa4zhT
— Rob Deaville (@strandings_man) August 22, 2020
According to Rob Deaville, from the Zoological Society of London, the whale was probably one of two Sowerby's beaked whales spotted close to the shore last week, with reported sightings in both Brancaster and Blakeney in Norfolk.
They are rarely seen in the North Sea, with only a handful of sightings having ever been reported in Norfolk - the oldest dating back to 1952.
Mr Deaville is now set to carry out an autopsy on the whale on Saturday evening.
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