Dead humpback whale washes up on Outer Banks

DARE COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - A dead humpback whale washed ashore at a wildlife refuge on the North Carolina coast this week, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife in North Carolina.

In a Facebook post, the agency thanked those who let it know about the dead whale that washed up at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.

USFWS says biologists have assessed the situation and anchored the dead whale to the shore.

This will allow them to perform a necropsy when tide conditions allow, the agency says.

In November, a Gervais’ beaked whale was found dead on the Crystal Coast after scientists say she swallowed a balloon and in December, a dead sperm whale was found at Cape Lookout.