Dead Whale Washes Ashore On Kent Coast

A dead whale has washed ashore on a beach at Foreness Point near Cliftonville, Kent.

Experts are planning to take samples from the marine mammal, thought to measure around 36ft long (11m).

Julia Cable, of East Sussex-based British Divers Marine Life Rescue, said: "We have had a look at it to try to identify it.

"It looks like an 11-metre long adult minke whale, but it is difficult to say with certainty without seeing the underside of it."

Minke whales mainly swim alone or in pairs, reaching speeds of up to 12 knots (14 mph) and are able to stay under water for as long as 20 minutes at a time.

They are not rare - with an estimated population of around 200,000 - but the common breed of minke whale are among those targeted by Japan and Iceland for commercial and "scientific" purposes.

The causes of strandings are unclear but can be due to disease, weather, injury or even sonar disrupting their ability to communicate with the others in their pod.

Police have put a cordon in place around the animal.