(UPDATE) A gigantic mammal has been found dead off the coast in Zamboanga.
Reuters reports that the 52-foot (16 meters) long Great Sperm Whale was spotted by the coast guard. A huge crane was also needed to lift the carcass.
Sunstar quotes City Veterinarian Dr. Mario Arriola as saying that the whale was pregnant, although the period of pregnancy could not be determined.
The report also quoted Ramil Dela Cruz of the BFAR Marine Mamals Stranding Response Team as saying the whale could have been dead for two days before it was spotted by the Coast Guard.
Dela Cruz reportedly said the sperm whale died of natural causes although there were "some holes and scratches on the whale's carcass."
"It was not known as of yet how the giant marine mammal had died, but the monsoon waves must have swept it ashore off Sacol Island," the report also quoted Arriola as saying.
Photo provided by Reuters:
A crane lifts the carcass of a 52-foot (16-metre) long Great Sperm Whale in a wharf at Zamboanga City, southern …
