Riverhead Foundation: Dead Humpback Whale That Washed Ashore In Quogue Suffered Head Injury

The dead humpback whale that washed ashore in Quogue on Saturday morning, a day after it was spotted floating about a half mile south of the Shinnecock Inlet, appears to have died from blunt force trauma to its head.Scientists with the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation completed a necropsy on the decomposing, 26-foot female whale shortly after it washed ashore at 200 Dune Road at around 10:30 a.m., according to Kimberly Durham, rescue program director for the organization.She explained that after performing the necropsy, scientists learned that the whale suffered extreme trauma to the left side of its skull. Rachel Bosworth, a spokesperson for the Riverhead Foundation, later said the injury could have been caused by a boat strike, though no recent incident was reported to the organization.Samples from the decomposing whale, which was later buried in the sand, were removed by examiners and forwarded to the foundation’s pathologist to help determine the exact cause of death.Ms. Durham estimated that it could take several weeks, or perhaps a few months, for those reports to be completed.Officials with Quogue Village’s police and highway departments also responded to the beach on Saturday and used heavy equipment to move the whale out into the surf so the examination could be completed.The whale was originally spotted on Friday afternoon, to the south of the inlet, but Riverhead Foundation officials opted to wait for the leviathan to wash ashore before examining it, according to Ms. Bosworth.