Large Humpback Whale Beaches in Quogue

A 35-foot humpback whale washed ashore in Quogue about 8 a.m. Wednesday morning. The massive animal was already dead when it reached the beach off Dune Road near Triton Lane, but marine biologists from the Riverhead Foundation have yet to release information related to the cause of death.

Researchers from the Riverhead Foundation were expected to complete a necropsy on the beach before the whale carcass was removed today. Curious onlookers visited the dead humpback and took photographs throughout the day on Wednesday. Despite the whale‘s condition, near-perfect lighting conditions and easy surf crashing around it made for some lovely pictures, and several witnesses shared their amazement at the marine mammal‘s size and beauty.

“It was massive, especially since it was so bloated,” amateur photographer Jennifer Hardy-Hargett said, making note of the whale‘s “long white fins.” Hargett, who had never seen a beached whale before, added, “The skin reminded me of rubber. It looked like it had been hit by a boat or gnawed on by something because the skin was missing on some parts of it.”

This is not the first dead whale to wash up in the Hamptons this year.

To report beached marine mammals, alive or dead, call the Riverhead Foundation‘s 24-Hour Stranding Hotline at 631-369-9829. You can also email researchers at sightings@riverheadfoundation.org.

Visit riverheadfoundation.org for more info.