Young sperm whale found dead on Hell's Mouth beach in north Wales

A dead sperm whale has been found washed up on a beach in North Wales.

The mammal is believed to have been stranded on Hell's Mouth beach in Gwynedd on Tuesday.

This is said to be the first time a sperm whale has washed up on a Welsh beach and has been described as unusual by marine animal experts.

People are being advised not to approach the animal's body.

This is said to be the first time a sperm whale has ever washed up on a Welsh beach although a pygmy sperm whale was found on a Carmarthenshire beach in June 2019.

A team of experts, including the Zoological Society of London, will be travelling to North Wales to examine the calf and determine a cause of death.

Sperm whales usually live in deep waters where they hunt giant squid. When a whale finds itself in shallow waters it is usually because it has lost its way.

The whale is estimated to be between two and three-years-old. It had not developed any teeth and so was likely to be still surviving on its mother's milk.

A spokesperson from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue said they believe this is the youngest wale calf ever recorded to be stranded in the UK.

They added:

This news comes less than a month after a sperm whale washed up and died on the shore in Northumberland.

A rare pygmy sperm whale was also found dead on a beach in Carmarthenshire in June 2019.