Dead whale buried in Oak Island sand

Oak Island, N.C. — Members of the UNCW marine mammal stranding program had to bury a whale that washed ashore on Oak Island over the weekend.

Kyle Thomas, a town spokesman, said experts believe the whale had been dead for 3-5 days before it washed ashore Sunday.

The cause of death had yet to be determined. A preliminary investigation showed the whale may have been tangled in something, UNCW biology and marine biology professor Ann Pabst said.

The whale was a humpback, approximately 33 feet long and three years old.