11 Dead Whales Across The Atlantic Coastline Recorded In A Span Of 3 1/2 Weeks

September 13, 2008 11:49 a.m. EST

Jupiter Island, FL (AHN) - A whale was found lifeless on the shore of Jupiter Island, Florida on Friday morning, bring to 11 the total number of whale fatalities found along the Atlantic coastline from North Carolina to southern Florida in a span of three and a half weeks.

The Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce said the10-foot long dead whale weighed about 450 pounds, and is either a pygmy or a dwarf sperm whale.

The animal is in Fort Pierce for necropsy to determine the cause death. The whale was reportedly female and appeared it had just given birth.

Recent whale deaths were due to heart disease, according to Harbor Branch.