First-ever beaching of complete fin whale in Taiwan confirmed

Taipei, April 3 (CNA) A 10.5-meter-long whale that washed ashore in northeastern Taiwan in early March has been confirmed as a fin whale, marking the first recorded case of a complete fin whale beaching in the country, the Taiwan Cetacean Society (TCS) said Thursday.

Based on the incomplete fusion of its vertebral growth plates, the fin whale was officially identified as a calf on Wednesday, the TCS said in a Facebook post.

Reports of the fin whale first surfaced on March 3, when its carcass was seen beached on the rocky shoreline of a lake on Guishan Island's northern coast.

However, the remote and rugged terrain made an immediate on-site investigation impossible. It was not until March 27, with government assistance, that a TCS team was able to access the site and collect samples.

Investigators observed multiple fractures along the whale's vertebrae, though it remains unclear whether the injuries occurred before or after death, the organization said.

The team successfully retrieved the entire skeleton and took it to higher ground, while skin and muscle samples were collected and sent to the National Museum of Natural Science for further examination.

Fin whales, which grow to 22-23 meters in length and weigh 40-50 metric tons as adults, are the world's second-largest marine mammal after the blue whale.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists fin whales as a "vulnerable" species, and Taiwan represents the southernmost habitat range for the North Pacific fin whale population, the TCS noted.