Whale Washed Ashore On Sandy Hook Hit By Boat, But Scientists Not Sure If That Caused Its Death

HIGHLANDS, NJ — The dead humpback whale that washed ashed on the beach at Sandy Hook Wednesday was struck by a boat, but scientists are not sure if that caused its death, or if it died earlier.

This is according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, which conducted a necropsy (animal autopsy) on the whale.

The whale was confirmed to be a young female measuring 35 feet 1 inch in length, and weighing an estimated 17 tons.

The whale was first spotted at 7:50 a.m. Wednesday floating just offshore of Sandy Hook, they said. The whale was already dead.

Within thirty minutes, a second report came in that the whale had washed ashore onto the beaches of the national park. The group posted a photo of the dead whale here: facebook.com/njmarinemammal

"The whale was in good body condition," they said Thursday. "Preliminary necropsy findings revealed evidence of blunt-force trauma, with bruising on the right dorsal side of the body and head, consistent with suspected vessel strike. Evidence of a previous entanglement was also observed, with old scars on the flukes."

Following the necropsy, the whale was buried on the beach.

Various biological samples were collected and they will help biologists determine if the boat strike occurred pre or post mortem (before or after the animal was deceased).

Dead Humpback Whale Washes Up On Sandy Hook Beach (Wednesday)