A dead minke whale on Quonnie Beach in Charlestown, Rhode Island. (WJAR)
© WJARA dead minke whale on Quonnie Beach in Charlestown, Rhode Island.
Scientists on Thursday conducted a necropsy on a dead minke whale washed ashore at Quonnie Beach in Charlestown, Rhode Island, following the discovery of two dead humpback whales on Cape Cod earlier this month.

A team from Mystic Aquarium conducted a necropsy on the 20-foot-long minke whale, which was first seen floating dead off Block Island on Sunday prior to washing up on the beach. The examination aims to uncover clues about the whale's cause of death. Scientists collected tissue samples and examined the whale for internal and external injuries.

"Necropsies are so important," said Sarah Callan, Animal Rescue Program Manager at Mystic Aquarium. "We can learn so much about what's going on directly in the environment and different threats these animals face."

There's speculation that offshore wind projects may be linked to the recent whale deaths. However, scientists have observed an unusually high number of deaths in minke, humpback, and endangered North Atlantic right whales since 2017, predating the commencement of offshore wind work.

"From our data that we've collected, we haven't seen any evidence that wind farms are affecting these animals, in terms of the cause of death for the strandings that we're seeing," Callan said.

Callan points out that entanglements in fishing gear and boat strikes are known human-related causes of whale deaths.

"It's obviously a very sad thing for us to do, but it's also our responsibility to help share this animal's story and be a voice for them," said Callan.

The whale has been decomposing for several days, so Callan says the decomposing body will make it tougher to determine a cause of death.

"We're doing the best we can to get the best samples we can, but those samples might not be as viable because it's a pretty decomposed animal," Callan said.