A large whale washed ashore on Duxbury Beach. (Duxbury Police)
DUXBURY (WBZ-AM) -- A 55-foot finback whale was found dead and washed ashore on Duxbury Beach Monday morning.
Duxbury Police have asked the public to stay away from the beach so that officials can deal with the matter, and shared the above photo on their Twitter account.
They also added that the immediate area of the first crossover is currently closed.
Tony LaCasse of the New England Aquarium told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz it's not unusual to see large whales washing up on New England beaches. He said the whale was first spotted Sunday about eight miles east of Marshfield in Cape Cod Bay.
"This animal's probably been dead for at least two or three days, and New England Aquarium biologists, our marine animal rescue team, and our veterinarians--along with assistants for IFAW, or International Fund for Animal Welfare, will do a necropsy on the animal today at Duxbury beach," LaCasse said.
LaCasse said they will roll the animal over using a piece of heavy equipment, then move it to high ground to do the necropsy--then, Duxbury officials will bury the remains of the animal in a secluded area not far from the beach.