Humpback Whale Washes Up Dead on NY Beach, 10th in Recent Months

Another whale has washed up dead overnight, making Monday's tragic discovery the 10th loss of the large water mammals in the past two months.

Officials were out on Long Island after a male humpback whale was spotted on Lido Beach before 7 a.m. He was dead by the time he was found.

Crowds gathering to catch the whale throughout the day prompted Hempstead Town crews to erect temporary fencing around the whale. He was so large, a backhoe was needed to move it away from the shore.

Researchers estimate the whale is 40 feet long, weighs 32 tons and is believed to be an adult about 5 years old. The animal showed no obvious signs of trauma.

The humpback is the 10th large whale to be stranded on Atlantic beaches -- including on Long Island and New Jersey -- in the past two months.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports 178 humpback whale strandings across 13 Atlantic states since 2016. The agency has labeled those deaths an "unusual mortality event" and says they are still being investigated.

NOAA says about half the whales found dead had been struck by vessels. Whether the whale found on Lido Beach was the victim of a vessel strike or died of some other means, the answer will be determined by experts from the Atlantic Marine Conversation Society.