A dead humpback whale has been seen floating off the North East coast.
The creature was spotted in the water near Whitley Bay on Tuesday and it was earlier seen near North Shields .
A spokesman from UK Coastguard's Humber Operation Centre said: "We received a report about the humpback whale in the sea off Whitley Bay on Tuesday.
"We can't say how long it has been there but we have to let nature take its course. The whale could get beached or it could get washed out into the sea, it depends what course nature takes."
A number of people took to social media to speak of their sadness.
One woman said on Facebook: "Poor beautiful creature."
Another commented: "Such a sad end for a magnificent creature."
And another added: "So sad."
The North Sea hides an amazing array of wildlife and many people have been able to see incredible marine mammals off our coast over the years. Whales, dolphins and even sharks are among the creatures that have been spotted.
There have been several dolphin sightings this year.
