Dead whale had wounds consistent with propeller strike

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) -- A Virginia Aquarium official says a juvenile humpback whale found dead near the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel might have been injured by a ship's propeller.

Matt Klepeisz, spokesman for the Virginia Aquarium in Virginia Beach, tells WTOP-FM for a story Sunday that official lab results are pending. But he says an initial exam showed wounds on the whale consistent with a strike by a large propeller.

The carcass was found Thursday morning. The aquarium's Stranding Response Team towed the body to Craney Island near the mouth of the Elizabeth River.

Klepeisz said previously that the whale is 33 feet long and weighs about 10,000 pounds.