Rare sighting

Whale carcass stranded on German North Sea island

An aerial photograph from a helicopter published on Thursday shows a black whale lying in the sand. The uninhabited island has been part of the Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park since 1986.(Bild: APA/Citynewstv)

A dead whale has beached on the uninhabited Wadden Sea island of Minsener Oog, south-east of the island of Wangerooge. An aerial photograph shows the carcass on the beach. Experts are currently investigating whether they can gain access to the site. Access is actually strictly prohibited - the area is a bird sanctuary.

The Waterways and Shipping Administration has reported a carcass on the island of Minsener Oog, confirmed a spokeswoman for the Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park Administration in Wilhelmshaven. 

According to initial findings, it is believed to be a humpback whale. A comparatively round mouth and the white fluke would indicate this.

Map: The uninhabited island of Minsener Oog is located west of the mouth of the Jade and east of the island of Wangerooge, around four kilometers from the mainland

Rare guests
According to the national park administration, humpback whales are rather rare guests in the German Bight. Last summer, there were several sightings of a younger humpback whale in the North Sea - off the island of Baltrum, for example.

Humpback whales grow to a length of twelve to 15 meters and can weigh up to 30 tons. They live in polar seas and migrate to tropical waters to calve.

Not an isolated case

• Whale strandings in the North Sea happen time and again. At the beginning of 2016, 30 young sperm whales stranded and died in the North Sea, two of them on Wangeroog beach. The skeleton of one of these animals can now be seen as an exhibit in the National Park House.

• Just a few days ago, a dead sperm whale weighing ten to 15 tons was discovered off Sylt and brought to the island beach. The cause of death is still unclear.