The body of a dead humpback whale washed up on Rockaway Beach early on Tuesday morning.
According to the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society (AMCS), the whale was first seen on Monday evening, April 3, floating nine miles off of the shore by the U.S. Coast Guard. At around 7 a.m. Tuesday morning, the whale was spotted on the shore near 117th and 118th Street.
The humpback whale is an estimated 25 to 30 feet long.
Whale beached on Beach 118th St in Rockaway Park (video: Robert Maggio) pic.twitter.com/X9WFWtNlvL
— Frank H Jump (@FadingAd) April 4, 2017
The whale’s cause of death is currently unknown. The AMCS is working with the New York City Department of Sanitation and Office of Emergency Management to determine the best method to perform a necropsy on the whale. A representative from the AMCS told DNAinfo that they should be able to retrieve the whale’s body during the next low-tide cycle.
This is not the first time that a whale has washed up on the shores in Queens. In 2012, an emaciated fin whale was washed up in Breezy Point. Despite the efforts of the Point Breeze Volunteer Fire Department to keep the whale alive, the whale died.