KAMAKURA, Kanagawa -- A whale carcass, believed to be that of a male blue whale calf, has washed ashore on a beach in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture.
The carcass was found on Yuigahama beach in Kamakura on Sunday. It is extremely rare for blue whales to wash ashore in Japan, according to researchers from the National Museum of Nature and Science.
"This whale will be a valuable resource to learn more about the biology of blue whales," a researcher from the museum said Monday.
According to Yuko Tajima, a senior researcher at the museum, the dead whale had the characteristics of a blue whale, such as sharp chest fins and a white-spotted surface.
Measuring about 10.5 meters in length, it is believed to be a calf. Blue whales are the largest animals on Earth and can grow up to about 30 meters in length.
The calf may have been separated from its mother before it died. There were no signs of injury on its surface to suggest it collided with a ship. The museum intends to keep the dead whale as a research specimen.
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