This is the second dead sperm whale to wash up on an Israeli beach since last July.
A dead sperm whale was spotted on the beach in Jaffa on Friday morning after it was spotted on Thursday in the water close to a Herzliya beach.
“A lot of people are here taking pictures,” said Sarit, a beachgoer in Jaffa where the whale ended up. “No one has come to take care of it for more than an hour.”
“It’s ridiculous, it’s full of germs, and people are going into the water, climbing over the body and playing.”
The whale seemingly died a few days ago and washed up last night.
This is the second sperm whale that has been found dead on Israel’s beaches since last July. Both dead whales join a list of reported sightings of live sperm whales from Israel’s beaches in the last year.
Miri Kalfa of the Institute for Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center said that parts of the whale would be taken for research.
“We will take the lower jaw and its teeth for a comparative collection in university,” she said.
Sperm whales are the larges of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predators in the world. Mature males are known to reach up to the length of 20.7 meters and can live for 70 years or more. Sperm whales are also the third-deepest diving mammal known.