HARRIS, SCOTLAND — A sperm whale that became stranded and died on a Scottish beach had 100kg of garbage in its stomach, according to the Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme (SMASS).
According to an SMASS Facebook post on December 1, the animal had been dead for two days by the time workers examined the carcass.
According to SMASS, the juvenile whale measured 14 meters long. Approximately 100 kilograms of garbage was found in its stomach, including nets, ropes, plastic cups and bags, gloves and packaging.
SMASS said that debris in the whale originated from both fishing and land sectors and that the animal had been eating litter for quite some time.
The whale could have swallowed the debris between the Azores to Norway and efforts to explain why this whale ingested so much garbage is still ongoing.
While the garbage did not appear to block the whale's intestines, SMASS said the debris caused indigestion and may have played a role in the stranding that resulted in the whale's demise.
