Dead humpback whale found on German shore

The body of a 26ft-long humpback whale has been washed ashore outside a small seaside town in Germany.

A sailor raised the alarm after spotting the whale floating in the water on Saturday outside Graalmüritz, a picturesque town along the Baltic coast. It is extremely rare for dead whales to wash up on German shores. Sometimes dead seals and porpoises can be found along the coastline, but a humpback is an “absolute exception”, Timo Moritz, head of science at the German Maritime Museum, said yesterday.