From dead whale which washed up on the beach of Texel in a far-reaching state of decomposition in August 2017, is the largest animal ever stranded in the Netherlands, reports NH News. Research shows that the female whale must have been 23 meters long, 5 meters longer than previously thought.
The whale probably collided with a ship twice. The first time was deadly, according to the researchers. In the second collision, the vertebrae were probably pushed out of the body. When the animal washed up, it was already in such a bad state that it was not seen at the time. The animal also lacked baleen, so a whale filters plankton out of the water.
Technician Chris Walen, who is busy reconstructing the skeleton, discovered that eight vertebrae were missing. As a result, the original measurement was no longer correct and five meters had to be added to the length. Walen is currently copying the missing vertebrae, which are given a different color than the rest of the skeleton.
Previous record
Before this stranding, the fin whale that washed up on the beach of Callantsoog in 1895 was the largest animal washed up on the Dutch coast. That whale was 10 feet long.
The skeleton of the fin whale from 2017 will be exhibited in Ecomare on Texel in the first half of this year.
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