Dead whale surfaces in Cape Charles, 2nd death in week

A dead whale that was spotted floating near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel earlier this week washed up on Butlers Bluff beach near Cape Charles, officials with the Virginia Aquarium confirmed Tuesday.

It's not yet known how the approximately 6 to 8-year-old male humpback whale died, but its death marks the second humpback whale death in the lower Chesapeake Bay region in a week.

It is estimated that the whale is 35 feet long, according to Andy Dunton of the Virginia Marine Police.

Another deceased humpback surfaced on a beach near the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel on Thursday, Feb. 2 with propeller wounds, according to WVEC News out of Hampton.

Employing the help of a bulldozer provided by a local excavation company and a large tractor from a local farmer, officials with the Virginia Aquarium Stranded Response Team and the Virginia Marine Police were able to pull the whale from shallow waters as the tide rose around 5 p.m.

Humpback whales are well known for their long "pectoral" fins, which can be up to 15 feet in length, according to the National Oceanian and Atmospheric Administration. Their scientific name, Megaptera novaeangliae, means "big-winged New Englander" as the New England population was the one best known to Europeans. These long fins give them increased maneuverability; they can be used to slow down or even go backwards.

Similar to all baleen whales, adult females are larger than adult males, reaching lengths of up to 60 feet, National Oceanian and Atmospheric Administration officials said.

Officials were able to identify the whale based on the markings on the whale's fluke, or tail, and confirm it was indeed the one spotted by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel by travelers and officials.

"The first sighting we had of this one was in 2012," said Sarah Mallett of the Virginia Aquarium Stranded Response Team.

The whale showed no signs of trauma or obvious signs of death, according to Mallett.

The whale was towed into Kiptopeke State Park as the sun set where it will sit until Mallett and her team can perform a necropsy on Wednesday to determine the cause of death.

Information from WVEC 13NewsNow.com was used in this report.