A dead minke whale in Marshfield. (New England Aquarium)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- Another dead whale washed up on a New England beach Tuesday afternoon--this time near Brant Rock in Marshfield.
New England Aquarium's Tony LaCasse said it was a juvenile minke (rhymes with "stinky," he points out) whale. The aquarium sent a team of scientists to examine the carcass, but they weren't able to get much useful information because it had already been scavenged by sharks.
This is the 20th minke that has washed up on New England shores this year--part of what LaCasse calls an "exceptional mortality event."
"Nine in Massachusetts, eight in Maine, two in New Hampshire, and one in Rhode Island," he said. "The oceans are changing dramatically around us. The ocean temperatures in New England are up a few degrees in just a decade, and so the ecology is changing around us."
LaCasse said it's not clear what will happen with the whale's remains--that's up to the town. They can have it removed or, since beaches aren't very busy there this time of year, they can simply let nature take its course. Another Minke whale washed up just a quarter mile from this one earlier in the summer.
Hear more from LaCasse below.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Doug Cope (@dcopewbz) reports