REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) - A dead humpback whale that washed ashore in Rehoboth Beach is the fifth such whale death in Delaware in the last 10 months.
Media outlets report The Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation Institute collected samples from the 37-foot, 11-inch whale that came ashore Thursday.
MERR executive director Suzanne Thurman says the whale death is a concern because it'll be the fifth humpback whale that has been stranded in Delaware in a 10-month period. She says they normally see that number in 10 years.
Thurman says that while authorities can't confirm the cause of death, the whale may have been hit by a ship.
MERR will submit its findings to The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
