Second dead whale in a week washes up on Va. beach

Hillary T. Chesson

The (Salisbury, Md.) Daily Times

A deceased whale has washed up on the Butlers Bluff beach in Cape Charles, Va. near Kiptopeke State Park in Northampton County. Yesterday, a dead whale was spotted floating near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.

CAPE CHARLES, Va. — A dead whale 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.

Massive humpback whale found dead in Delaware port

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 Feb. 2 with propeller wounds, according to WVEC-TV, Hampton.

With 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.

Virginia Aquarium officials stand near a bulldozer used to try to pull a dead whale from the water at Butlers Bluff near Cape Charles on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017. The bulldozer was provided by Major Excavation in Franktown, Va.

Humpback whales are well known for their long "pectoral" fins, which can be up to 15 feet in length, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Their scientific name, Megaptera novaeangliae, means "big-winged New Englander." 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, officials at NOAA 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 travelers at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

"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.

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

Contributing: WVEC 13NewsNow.com.

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