For the second time in 10 days, a young minke whale has turned up dead along the Massachusetts coastline.
The body of the male whale was found in the surf of the Humarock section of Scituate Monday afternoon.
Biologists from the New England Aquarium's Marine Animal Rescue Team who investigated said the 22-foot-long whale probably died within the past couple of days and had been "scavenged by sharks".
While most carcasses wash ashore, this whale had not been spotted floating at sea, officials said.
Although no marine gear or human interaction was seen on the whale, a full necropsy will be conducted.
Scituate town officials disposed of the carcass Tuesday morning.
Over Labor Day weekend, another minke whale washed up on the Duxbury Beach Reservation.
U.S. & World
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there have been a greater than normal number of minke whale deaths along the east coast in the last couple of years. This year, there have been six strandings so far, in 2018 there were 11, and in 2017 there were 8.
