Dead whale washes up in Hampton

HAMPTON, Va. - A passer-by called authorities when he discovered a dead whale lying on the sand at Buckroe Beach Sunday morning.

Joan Barnes with the Virginia Aquarium said members of the Stranding Response Team responded to the scene. Team members transported the body to the aquarium's Marine Animal Control Center for examination. They later identified the 14-foot whale as a rare True's Beaked Whale or Mesoplodon biden.

Barnes said a necropsy will be performed at the center on Monday by representatives from the Aquarium Stranding Response Team, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The whale appeared to have died recently due to the condition of its body, Barns said.