ROCKAWAY BEACH, Queens (PIX11) — The cause of death has been released on Friday for the dead whale that was found on a Queens beach on Thursday, the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society (AMSEAS) announced.
A necropsy, or animal autopsy, was performed on the 45-foot Sei whale, and it was found that it likely died as a result of a boat strike, according to officials.
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Distinct abrasions were found along one of the sides of the whale. Bruises were found internally around the same location and stretched up to the dorsal part of the whale, the report said.
Tissue samples of the whale have been taken to a lab for further analysis before a complete report is done on the cause of the death.
An animal autopsy was done on the dead whale that washed ashore in the Rockaways. (Credit: AMSEAS)
The whale was spotted on Tuesday, floating around 15 miles off the south shore of Long Island before it drifted onto Rockaway Beach on Wednesday, according to AMSEAS.
Each year, an estimated 20,000 whales are killed worldwide by vessel strikes, according to a study done by the International Marine Mammal Project.
This was the first large whale of the year that the AMSEAS responded to.
Andrew Cruz is a digital content producer. A native New Yorker, he joined PIX11 in 2009 as a weather producer. More of his work can be found here.
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