VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A dead right whale found off the coast of Virginia Beach last Saturday was found to have died after getting blunt force trauma from a vessel strike.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said experts conducted a necropsy or animal autopsy on the female North Atlantic right whale on Tuesday.
The findings include "catastrophic injuries with a dislocation of the whale's spine and fractures to all vertebrae in the lower back... consistent with blunt force trauma from a vessel strike prior to death."
NOAA said testing of more samples is pending. NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement is also investigating the incident.
The deceased whale was a mother who had given birth to a calf this winter. According to NOAA, the calf is not expected to survive without protecting and nursing from its mother.
You can report any sightings of dead, injured or entangled whales on their website or by calling the Greater Atlantic Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline at (866) 755-6622 or the Southeast Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline at (877) 942-5343.