Town’s surprise as 40ft whale washed up on an Arbroath beach

A WHALE 40ft long was yesterday washed up on a Scottish beach.

• Dead whale found beached in Arbroath

• Cause of death yet to be determined

The dead baleen whale was discovered by a shocked dog walker near Arbroath Artisan Golf Club in Angus yesterday morning.

A spokesman for the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), said: “It’s definitely one of the baleen type of whale. A lot of Baleen whales are washed up on Britain’s shores all year round and until the post-mortem is conducted we cannot speculate on why this particular whale has died.”

He said experts from the Scottish Agricultural College in Inverness would do the examination.

A spokesman for Arbroath lifeboat said: “There were initial worries that the whale would be taken back out to sea by the high tide and that would have posed a danger to fishing boats in the area.

“So the guys assisted the marine rescue team in dragging the whale higher up the beach.”

Earlier this month, 27 pilot whales were washed up near St Andrews (see image, left).

Baleen whales take their name from the plates they use to filter food from water – they have no teeth.