UPDATED: MERR Performs Necropsy on Dead Whale Beached Near Bethany
Image courtesy MERR Institute
Image courtesy MERR Institute
UPDATED – 01/10/26 – A necropsy on the juvenile humpback whale that washed ashore near the Ocean Ridge community in Bethany Beach on Thursday found the 32-foot male whale had subdermal hemorrhaging and a broken jaw on the right side. Officials say this sort of injury is often associated with a large ship strike – and it’s believed the whale was still alive when it was struck. It’s estimated the whale weighed a minimum of 20,000 pounds – and it has been buried on the beach.
Additional information from MERR:
These large whales cannot be safely towed out to sea, so burying them on the beach allows them to become an important part of the beach ecosystem.
“This was a tragic event, and we would like to thank everyone who helped to support us in our examination of this whale,” said MERR executive director Suzanne Thurman. “MERR’s volunteers were as wonderful as ever, and worked tirelessly to assist in examining the whale in a very short window of time. We would also like to thank DNREC for providing heavy equipment resources for towing and burial of the whale. They were able to tow the whale up onto the beach so we could safely examine it, and their staff was indispensable in helping us to position the whale so that we could get as much information as possible.”
She added, “And last but certainly not least, we would like to thank the very kind homeowners in Ocean Ridge. They looked out for our volunteers by sending down coffee and doughnuts, letting us use their bathroom, and for showing so much caring and compassion for this beautiful animal. We always appreciate the fact that we live in a community that cares so much about the ocean and its creatures.”
===================================
ORIGINAL STORY – 01/08/26 – The Marine Education Research and Rehabilitation Institute was called for a juvenile male humpback whale that beached near a private Bethany Beach area community Thursday afternoon.
The whale was first spotted Tuesday floating about 2 miles off the Indian River Inlet. MERR officials say the 30-foot whale is very bloated and they are working with DNREC to move the whale out of the water so that a postmortem necropsy can be conducted.