Got a call on a humpback whale that was deceased and washed up on the shore of the barrier island of Long Beach/Atlantic Beach, Long Island N.Y.

I called in to the USCG Station in Jones Beach and Atlantic Marine Conservation Society to let them know about the whale. I arrived at the spot and saw the sad sight of the beached humpback whale. NCPD was at the scene and they backed up the fact that all authorities were contacted about the beached whale.

The female humpback whale looks to be an estimated 31-foot and in somewhat good shape physically; by this I mean no big scars or open wounds that I could see. I could not see its back or top of the whale because it was on its back.

The Sea Lice has dried up and died and the barnacles looked to be drying out. Coronula diademais, a species of whale barnacle only known to live on humpback whales (maybe sperm whales and finback whales also)- they are the big white barnacles on this whale. The long thing hanging off the white barnacles are another type of barnacle and they are called gooseneck barnacles.

I cleared the sand off the tail to get the fluke print so as to maybe get a match in the NYC Humpback Whale Catalog. Later I looked at the fluke shots and this humpback whale's fluke is not in the NYC HWC catalog. 

Gotham Whale , NCPD, and AMCS will be on the scene all day, we will keep all in the loop on what is happening.

A very sad sight to see! I personally hate taking photos of deceased whales but it has to be done! R.I.P. 

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