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.
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.