A Cuvier’s Beaked Whale was washed ashore at Sadras Kuppam near Kalpakkam on Wednesday.
These whales can be easily identified by their unique snout formation and two protruding teeth in the lower jaw. The whale washed ashore was a healthy adult female, nearly 20 feet long and weighing approximately a tonne.
Supraja Dharini of TREE Foundation said she along with a few volunteers of the Foundation went to the spot.
According to initial observations, the whale did not have any visible injuries. But, closer inspection revealed strangulation marks around its neck and torso region, she said.
The volunteers suspect the death could have been caused due to strangulation after the whale got caught in a deep sea gill net. They also found small pieces of net embedded in its upper body.
The flippers were 59 cm long. Due to its sheer size, it took the joint efforts of the volunteers and 20 villagers to move it slowly from the intertidal zone to the shore. After repeated efforts, a JCB was called to move the whale.
