Beached whale in New Jersey

I have always found the appearance of beached whales, especially when they appear near built up areas, to be quite unsettling. This video, which has been circulating quite widely today, is no exception.

From a fortean zoology point of view, New Jersey is best known for the legendary ‘Jersey Devil’ and although it would be very tempting to claim that the injuries on this 54ft male fin whale were caused by predations of this legendary creature, there is no evidence to support this theory. It appears most likely this poor creature was hit by a boat then eaten alive by large sharks.

It is interesting to see its penis, presumably in some cetacean equivalent of a ‘hanged man’s erection’ sticking up in the pose which many people have suggested is responsible for some, if not all, sightings of long necked sea serpents.