Fisherman were stunned when the giant rotting carcass of a sperm whale washed ashore in the Philippines.
The 17-metre-long (56 feet) marine mammal was found dead on the coast of Hinatuan in Surigao del Sur province on May 9. Officials estimated it weighed 40 tons.
Resident Grace Lim said "I was surprised when I saw that giant whale, so scary but also felt bad for the whale. Before it appeared, our province hit really high temperatures so I though that might be connected.''
Staff from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Caraga arrived to carry out tests on the dead sperm whale.
They said the whale was in an ''advanced decomposition stage'' due to ''its missing skin, soft blubber, bloating, and strong foul odor''.
Biologists said that due to the condition of the corpse they were unable to conduct a necropsy to find the cause of death.
A spokesman added: ''Tissue and teeth samples were collected by the laboratory personnel and will be sent to the University of the Philippines' Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology for biological and molecular tests and age estimation.
''After thorough deliberation among LGU officials and as per recommendation by the DA-BFAR XIII personnel, for purposes of sanitation, the carcass should be buried to at least six feet below the ground in a secluded area that is distant from nearby communities. The LGU Hinatuan also expressed its intent to collect the bones of the carcass for specimen accessioning.''
To prevent the possible spread of bacteria, the decomposing carcass of a sperm whale was chopped into pieces and buried in an uninhabited area
Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer (CENRO) Victor R. Sabornido said: ''The 17.68 meters (56 feet long) sea sperm whale was so big that at least 30 villagers helped one another in chopping and burying it in an uninhabited area.''
