Humpback Whale Carcass Washes Ashore In Jamestown

JAMESTOWN, RI — A steady stream of visitors braved Lyme Disease on Sunday and walked down the trail to the rocks where the whale's carcass came ashore on the beach at Beavertail State Park. According to the Newport Daily News, the beached whale was found on Friday. The Mystic Aquarium's team pronounced it dead and took samples.

"Poor thing," some girls murmured, as they went to see the remains of a Humpback.

This was the second time this month an aquatic mammal has landed on a Rhode Island beach. One June 6, a Riso's Dolphin carcass was discovered on the beach in Barrington. Initially, people thought it was a whale, but the Mystic Aquarium experts identified it as a Riso's, according to Ray Sousa, Barrington's harbor master. The Town public works department disposed of it on June 7.

Janelle Schuh, the aquarium's stranding coordinator, said it wasn't possible to determine the reason the dolphin died. It was too badly decomposed to allow for post-mortem tests, she said. Although she prefers to "stay away from the word 'unusual' "when discussing sea life, she did say it was only the eighth Riso's reported in Rhode Island and Connecticut waters since the mid-1970s.

Patch will contact Mystic Aquarium about the Jamestown whale and update the story when information is available.

Photo Caption: Channel 12 interviews a woman who went to see the whale.

The Humpback whale washed up on the rocks at Beavertail State Park.