A dead whale, believed to be a minke whale, has washed ashore on a beach between Klitmøller and Vangså in North Jutland.
The carcass was spotted on September 18 by a beach visitor, who alerted the local beach warden, Mads Ring. He went to the beach the following day to photograph the animal. DR reports the find, citing coverage by TV Midtvest.
Ring took the photographs so that the details can be entered into the systems of the Natural History Museum of Denmark and the Danish Nature Agency. According to his assessment, the whale is about nine meters long and 120 centimeters wide.
The beach warden notes that the animal has no teeth, which led him to conclude it belongs to the baleen whales. He also points to a striped pouch under the jaw. Per Ring, it is most likely a minke whale.
Whale researcher Carl Kinze, who is affiliated with the Natural History Museum of Denmark, gave a similar assessment to Ritzau. Based on the description, he considers a minke whale the most likely identification, but says a sei whale cannot be ruled out. As stated by Kinze, closer examination is required.
Ring says the whale had probably been dead for some time before it drifted ashore. The body has turned white, which he attributes to the time that has passed since death.
A common species in Danish waters
The minke whale is a species in the rorqual family, which falls under the baleen whales, according to Danmarks Nationalleksikon. It is the most common baleen whale and is found in nearly all of the world’s oceans.
Strandings of large marine mammals are recorded regularly along the Danish North Sea coast. Earlier cases have included a sperm whale washed ashore in Denmark and a larger stranding on the North Jutland coast.
DR notes that another dead minke whale washed up in July at Tornby Strand, south of Hirtshals. That carcass was eventually removed from the beach, because the smell disturbed swimmers at the site.
The stretch of coast where the latest whale was found lies between Klitmøller and Vangså in Thy, on the North Sea side of Jutland. Klitmøller is a well-known surfing destination and sits within Thy National Park.
No decision on the handling of the carcass has been reported. The registration of the find with the Natural History Museum of Denmark and the Danish Nature Agency is the step described so far by the beach warden.
