A 58-foot finback whale washed ashore on an eastern Long Island beach Thursday.
Kimberly Durham of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Prevention said the giant mammal had no visible signs of injury. She said it showed signs of advanced decomposition, so likely had been dead for some time before it washed up on Smith Point County Park beach near Shirley.
Durham says a forensic examination will be conducted Friday to determine a cause of death.
The foundation is working with Suffolk County parks officials to determine how to dispose of the whale.
Durham says finback whales frequently have been spotted off eastern Long Island in recent months.
She says a leatherback turtle also was found nearby on Tuesday.
