A dead whale was found on Atlantic Beach on Long Island on Dec. 26, 2017. (Artie Raslich Photography)
ATLANTIC BEACH, Long Island — A deceased humpback whale has washed ashore on Long Island, officials said.
Police in Nassau County were called about 8 a.m. Tuesday about a whale in Atlantic Beach.
Multiple agencies are coordinating the response but because high tide will limit crews’ accessibility to the animal, that response likely will begin Wednesday, according to the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society (AMCS), which is part of the response.
Additional information about the animal or what may have caused its death was not immediately available. A necropsy is scheduled for Tuesday.
Photographer Artie Raslich captured images of the leviathan, which was dotted with barnacles. He estimates the whale is about 31 feet long.
A dead humpback whale washed ashore in Atlantic Beach, Long Island, was reported to police on Dec. 26, 2017. (Nassau County Police Department via Atlantic Marine Conservation Society)
On Saturday, a dead dolphin was reported near Montauk Lighthouse, about 100 miles east of where the whale washed up.
Because of inclement weather and the animal’s location, crews’ response was delayed for safety concerns. A necropsy is scheduled for Tuesday on the dolphin.
AMCS said anyone who sees live or deceased marine mammals or sea turtles stranded on the beach should call the New York State Stranding Hotline at 631-369-9829.
