Dead Humpback Whale Buried On Barnegat Light Beach

BARNEGAT, NJ — The dead humpback whale that washed ashore over Christmas weekend near Barnegat Lighthouse State Park was buried on the beach Monday.

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center could not determine a cause of death following an examination of the 15-ton whale.

Bob Schoelkopf, the center's director, told Patch the partially frozen whale was buried in a trench beyond the high tide mark about 150 feet away from where it was stranded to prevent the whale from remerging and washing up again.

“That’s the easiest way to dispose of it and it’s the most natural way too because typically if people weren’t here, an animal washes up on the beach and lays there until it decomposes,” Schoelkopf said.

Due to the advanced decomposition of the semi-frozen carcass, only a partial necropsy could be performed. The male humpback whale was 32 feet long and estimated to be between 2 and 3 years old.

Schoelkopf said it was unusual that the floating carcass did not attract shark bites. However, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center found healed killer whale teeth rake marks, suggesting the wounds were inflicted in the whale’s youth.

The orca teeth markings are the most distinct sample documented by the Marine Mammal Stranding Center to date.

“We believe the animal was attacked as a calf heading north of the Caribbean passing by some whales that tried to get a hold of it. They scarred it but they weren’t successful obviously in getting a hold of it,” Schoelkopf said.

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