Whale carcass to be buried on Delaware beach

More than 100,000 pound whale was most likely hit and killed by a large ship.

Marine researchers have determined that a 61-foot long fin whale that washed ashore at Fenwick Island on Friday was killed after being hit by a large object, most likely a ship.  Executive Director of the Marine Education, Research, and Rehabilitation (MERR) Institute Suzanne Thurman says the whale had a fractured skull where it was hit.

At 61-feet long, the female whale was not yet full grown, and could have grown another 20 feet.  Thurman says the whale is estimated to weigh more than 100,000 pounds.  Its skull will be taken to the MERR Institute to educate visitors about the marine mammal and the dangers they face in the water.  The rest of the animal’s body will be composted.