A 58-foot finback whale that washed ashore on an eastern Long Island beach earlier this week had a large bruise, officials said Sunday
A necropsy of the whale, which washed up on Smith Point County Park beach near Shirley, showed a bruise on the animal's side that was "indicative of blunt force trauma or ship strike," said Robert A. DiGiovanni Jr., executive director of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation.
The whale showed signs of advanced decomposition, so it likely had been dead for some time before it washed up on the beach Thursday. A necropsy was conducted the following day.
Officials with the foundation have said that finback whales have been spotted frequently off eastern Long Island in recent months.
