A headless whale washed ashore in Porth Neigwl, Wales. The family discovered the headless whale and a deceased dolphin.
It might even be a Humpback. A dead dolphin was also there. It looked fresher, so it died later. The whale’s decay makes finding the cause hard.
Gem Simmons says visitors must stay away because the animals might carry diseases. Porth Neigwl has dangerous currents, and sailors feared onshore winds there. In May 2023, a sperm whale died there too, washing ashore alive.
A family visiting from Cheshire found the animals on Monday afternoon. They saw it near the Plas-yn-Rhiw car park. Laura Thursby said the whale was by some rocks, and high tide could cover it.
She said it was four meters long and at least one meter wide. The whale’s fin and head were gone, but its body was okay overall. It had been dead for a while, and the dolphin had a hole in its side.
The monitoring group knows about the animals now and tracks stranded sea animals. Gem thinks it’s likely a Minke or Fin whale, and a Humpback whale is less likely. People spotted a Humpback whale near Colwyn Bay in 2024, which was rare for the area.
The washed-up whale could be one, as it has ventral pleats. The decay makes finding the cause hard, she said. The whale lost skin layers, and mostly there’s just blubber left now.
Fins fall off first when whales float, which is a normal part of decay. Whale bodies help the ocean a lot, feeding marine life for years, and they also store carbon well.
The currents likely brought both to shore. The dolphin might have been there at a different time. Gem thinks the dolphin is a Common dolphin, and birds likely made the hole on its side.
These animals may have diseases for humans, so people should stay away. Even dead, they are protected, so leave them alone. If left, they help ocean life, and removing them would be hard, as even half a whale is heavy. Visitors at the car park may notice the animals, and Gem said the area may start to smell.