WASSAW ISLAND, Ga. (AP) – A dead pilot whale has washed up on Georgia’s Wassaw Island.
The Savannah Morning News reports that a group of scientists releasing a loggerhead sea turtle Tuesday discovered the carcass of the 11-foot-long female whale.
John “Crawfish” Crawford of the Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant says the whale appears to have washed up on the previous high tide.
Department of Natural Resources biologist Clay George performed a necropsy with the assistance of Savannah State University students Wednesday and says it’s likely the whale died of natural causes. The team sent tissues to a pathologist, but will have to wait several months for results.
George says the pilot whale is only the second to strand in Georgia within the past decade.