Honoring Humpback whale, NYC0260

We are very saddened to share with you the news of the death of Humpback whale NYC0260, who washed ashore deceased in Long Branch, New Jersey on the afternoon of August 12th. This whale became very well-known in our area in a short period of time, having first been identified in our waters last year by Gotham Whale, the non-profit organization that catalogs humpback whales throughout NY and NJ. The 260th whale cataloged by the organization, NYC0260 was a young unnamed humpback whale, likely just a few years old, only seen for the first time in Summer 2022. In the North Atlantic, humpback whales are typically not given a name until they reach a certain age and are consistently seen on one of the northern feeding grounds. Unfortunately, NYC0260 did not have the chance to be given a name.

Last October we received a report that NYC0260 had suffered a severe injury, losing his left tail fluke. We worried about the young Humpback and if he would be able to survive with such a devastating injury. Our team was thrilled when he was spotted once again in our waters this summer, not only feeding but breaching as well. His resilience and adaptability were inspiring, and gave us hope that as he matured, he would join the breeding population of this Protected Species. Unfortunately, our hopes for his future were crushed on Saturday when his body was identified by his distinctive fluke.

Our entire team is deeply saddened by the death of this beautiful animal that we had the opportunity to come to know as an individual over the last year. Words cannot express how unfair it seems that he endured and managed to survive a traumatic injury, only to suffer and succumb to another tragic event.

Though this loss is a gut punch to our team, the best way we can honor this young whale is to help him tell his story, so our work goes on. Our team, with the help of our dedicated volunteers and many other agencies, quickly mobilized within hours to perform a necropsy (animal autopsy) on Sunday in the extreme heat. Critical data and biological samples were collected for further analysis, all pieces of information that will hopefully help researchers tell the story of this young whale in life and in death.

For additional information on the initial necropsy findings, please visit our Blog.

For the most up to date information on other recent cetacean necropsy findings, please visit our webpage, Cetaceans 2002-2023. This page includes the most up to date information MMSC has received to date on necropsy findings. Biological samples have various destination points to laboratories across the country. Labs have various response times, sometimes up to a year. Any results received by MMSC are immediately posted to the charts.

Click here for more Information About "Marine Mammal Stranding Center Newsletter - August 18, 2023"