Severely decomposed whale washes ashore in Ocean City

OCEAN CITY — A severely decomposed whale washed ashore on a city beach late last week, according to officials.

"Public Works crews buried the carcass on the beach after the Marine Mammal Stranding Center completed its inspection," Ocean City municipal spokesman Doug Bergen told the Asbury Park Press in an email.

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center did not immediately return a call for comment on Monday. But the whale was described as a 9-foot long pygmy sperm whale in an advanced state of decay, according to the local news website OCNJdaily.com.

The dead whale came ashore near the 49th Street beach, according to the news website.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, spokeswoman Allison Ferreira said she was aware of the recent whale stranding and confirmed it was severely decomposed when it washed ashore. She said additional details were not immediately available.

Smaller than typical sperm whales, pygmy sperm whales grow up to 11.5 feet long and can weigh as much as 1,000 pounds, according to NOAA. Their greatest threats are from entanglement in fishing gear, commercial hunting in the Pacific ocean and the Caribbean, vessel strikes, plastic and swallowed garbage, and ocean noise pollution, according to the federal agency.

The pygmy sperm whale is the 10th whale stranding along New Jersey's coast in the past four months.

NJ whale deaths:See the full list to learn how each of them died

Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers Brick, Barnegat and Lacey townships as well as the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than a decade. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Severely decomposed whale washes ashore in Ocean City