Officials: Whale Washed Ashore On Long Island Likely Hit By Ship
BABYLON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Officials have a likely cause of death for the 12-foot minke whale that washed ashore on Long Island this week.
As WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported, the beached adult male discovered at Robert Moses State Park on Wednesday was likely killed after being hit by a ship.
Rob Digiovanni, of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, said he has seen this all too often this year.
"We've had five large whales -- two minke whales and three humpback whales -- that washed up since January of this year and they all had some evidence of blunt force trauma, which is usually indicative of being hit by some kind of a vessel," Digiovanni said.
The whale did also have a number of shark bites, but Digiovanni said he believes the shark bites came after the whale's death.
The whale is the latest find in south shore waters. A shark was reported two days ago off nearby Jones Beach, and some swimmers were stung by Man O' Wars further east on Fire Island.
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