ASSATEAGUE ISLAND, MD– A deceased whale was reportedly discovered on Assateague Island Wednesday.
Maryland's Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says Natural Resources Police first reported the carcass – which was moved out of the tidal zone by National Park Service staff.
DNR Stranding Response Program staff and volunteers worked with the National A quarium to conduct a necropsy Friday.
The whale was determined to be a subadult male humpback.
A definitive cause of death was not determined. Examination samples are being shipped for diagnostic analysis, according to DNR.
Viewer Bonnie Brady sent WBOC photos of the marine mammal approximately 1.7 miles north of the Assateague State Park lot.
She said the photos were taken by Anthony Skorochod at 9:05 a.m. Thursday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration advises the public not to approach stranded marine mammals – but to report stranded animals to the Marine Mammal Stranding Network at (866) 755-6622 from a safe distance of 150 feet.
