Fin whale washes up on sea shore

Dublin Coast Guard issued a small craft warning as the animal floated in waters off Killiney and Shankill on Friday.

Crowds of people made their way to Shankill to see the unusual sight. However the local authority sealed off the area and warned people to stay clear of the dead whale.

Padraig Whooley, sightings officer with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, said that they know the whale was already dead before it landed on the beach because it was lying belly up. It appeared to be moving around to an extent because it was partly still in sea water.

According to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, distinctive slices on the side and upper body of the whale suggest that the propellor of a ship may have killed it.

While this is the most likely cause of death, it is also possible that the damage may have been caused post mortem.

They said that the whale may have been forced inland due to windy conditions on Friday.

The group identified the mammal as a juvenile fin whale. At 10.9 meters it is too large to be a minke whale.

An adult fin whale can reach up to 25 metres. This is a rare record of what they said is the 'planet's second largest animal' on the east coast of Ireland.

This is only the third recorded stranding of this species on the east coast.

IWDG said that they have been calling for post mortems on unusual stranded sealife such as this.

However they said that this is unlikely. 'Necropsies on large whales on beaches is extremely difficult logistically and usually do not reveal the cause of death.'

As numbers of whales in Irish waters increase, more of them are expected to be seen washing up on beaches, according to the IWDG.

The whale was later washed back out to sea.