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ANANOVA
24th January 2003
The corpse of a great sperm whale has washed up on the Norfolk coast after a suspected collision with a vessel.
Yarmouth coastguards say the body of the 15-metre long female had been floating in The Wash near King's Lynn for about a day before grounding on nearby sand banks.
Experts are to perform an autopsy on the whale, which had injuries on its head which appeared consistent with propeller marks.
Zoologist Richard Sabin, of the Natural History Museum, who will carry out the procedure, says it is unusual to find a great sperm whale (scientific name Physeter catodon) in the Norfolk area.
"It's quite unusual, but it's not unknown. When we do see sperm whales, we tend to see them in the east and the north, especially Scotland," he said.
"At 15 metres, it's a good size, but we'll really know much more when we get up there."
Chris Attree, Yarmouth coastguard watchman assistant, said: "The main thing we were concerned about is that the King's Lynn area is used by a lot of small vessels.
"If a 12ft vessel hit something the same size with that kind of weight behind it, it could have been dangerous."
Once the autopsy is completed, the body will be incinerated by the local council.
The great sperm whale, which is found in all the world's oceans, is the deepest diving mammal, largest toothed whale and has the biggest brain of marine mammals compared to its body size.
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