One of the largest whales ever recovered in the Mediterranean Sea was found Sunday off the Italian coast.
A whale calf in distress led Italian Coast Guard scuba divers to a dead, 70-ton whale off the harbor of Sorrento near Naples, Italy, the BBC reported.
Shortly after its discovery, the carcass floated to the surface. Crews then worked three days to move the leviathan to land. It was towed from Sorrento to the port of Naples.
The Coast Guard said it was “probably one of the largest” whale carcasses recovered. Marine biologists will perform a necropsy to determine the cause of death, Agence France-Presse reported.
Officials said they plan to eventually display the whale’s skeleton in a museum.
The Coast Guard continues to monitor the whale calf, which swam back into the sea.
Concluso il complesso rimorchio in porto a #Napoli della balenottera individuata il #17gennaio da #sub #GuardiaCostiera a #Sorrento, per rimuoverla dal mare e individuare cause decesso con necroscopia. Prosegue monitoraggio per ricerca esemplare più piccolo#TutelaAmbiente pic.twitter.com/N77OngRiEy
— Guardia Costiera (@guardiacostiera) January 20, 2021
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