A dead humpback whale washed up on a Connecticut beach Monday morning.
The 20-foot long female whale has been dead for some time, according to officials at Mystic Aquarium.
Aquarium crews responded on Monday morning after the whale was found near Lord’s Point in Stonington.
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Mike Osborn, director of mammals and birds at the Mystic Aquarium, said the aquarium hopes to move the animal to a different location to perform a necropsy.
He said the whale would be pulled out to deeper waters if the carcass is too decayed to determine the cause of death.
Humpbacks are listed federally as an endangered species. Federal officials say the best estimate for its North Atlantic population is 11,570.
Marine animal strandings have increased steadily in recent years as populations of some species have grown under the protection of federal laws, according to Mystic.
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The animal rescue program at Mystic says that anyone who sees a stranded marine animal give the animal space, avoid touching it, and keep your pets away.
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