Rare Beaked Whale Washes Up On The Jersey Shore

It's another sad story and another whale has been found washed up on the Jersey Shore this time though it's a unique and rare type of whale. This latest whale was found on the beach in Monmouth County in Spring Lake.

Get our free mobile app

This whale is a rare "beaked whale". According to Wikipedia, "Beaked whales (systematic name Ziphiidae) are a family of cetaceans noted as being one of the least-known groups of mammals because of their deep-sea habitat, reclusive behavior and apparent low abundance.^[1] Only three or four of the 24 existing species are reasonably well-known. Baird's beaked whales and Cuvier's beaked whales (Pictured) were subject to commercial exploitation, off the coast of Japan."

According to Patch, the whale was found washed ashore on St. Clair Avenue in Spring Lake. The rare "beaked" whale was approximately 13 feet long. According to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center the whale "was in moderately decomposed condition".

Now officials will have to investigate as to what the cause of death was. "The whale carcass was removed by Monmouth County Department of Public Works crews and taken to the New Jersey Dept. of Agriculture lab in Trenton to determine what caused its death. When those results become available, they will be shared here on the Marine Mammal Stranding Center's website.

This whale, the Beaked Whale, is rare and is usually found in much deeper waters, so this is an interesting case it will be interesting to find what experts think was the cause of death and the way the whale found itself so far from home, which possibly could be a random case of drifting. We will update the story when an answer is published.