Image: This minke whale carcass washed ashore on Crane Beach sometime between Thursday and Friday morning. Arthur HoweIPSWICH — A team from the New England Aquarium made quick work of a 4,000-pound minke whale carcass, washed ashore on Crane Beach sometime between Thursday and Friday morning.
"It was an awesome experience to be a few feet from this massive animal," said Arthur Howe, public safety director for the Crane Estate. "It's a magnificent creature ... a remarkable part of the natural world."
Also impressive was the efficiency of the aquarium team, led by Tom French of the state Fisheries and Wildlife Department. They dissected the 21-foot whale and had the skeleton carted away by Saturday afternoon, the animal's flesh buried on the property.
The cause of death has not been, and may never be, determined, Howe said. It seems likely that the whale was already dead when it was beached. Read More
