A 37-feet-long Bryde's whale washed ashore at Juhu beach here, attracting hordes of onlookers who came to see the giant mammal.
The 11.3-metre long whale, weighing nearly 20 tonne, was washed on the shore last night. It was buried today near the beach beyond the high tide line, N Vasudevan, Chief Conservator of Forests (mangrove cell) told PTI.
The Bryde's whale is an endangered species and found in the Arabian Sea.
The cause of death could not be ascertained, the senior IFS officer said, adding that it might have died in the sea and washed ashore. "There was no external injury," he added.
Locals, who spotted the dead mammal last night, had informed the police and the forest department.
Carcasses of 38 Baleen whales were washed ashore recently near Tiruchendur beach in Tamil Nadu while more than 250 whales stranded in shallow waters were pushed back into the deep sea.
In June last year, a 42-feet-long blue whale was washed ashore at Revdanda coast, about 17 kms south of Alibaug in neighbouring Raigad district.
Forest officials had contacted marine biologists after spotting the whale when it was still alive and struggling to survive. However, the whale died later.
