A huge sperm whale washed up on a beach at a holiday hotspot popular with Brits.
The enormous marine mammal had apparently suffered a fatal strike to the head by a passing vessel.
A Brit expat spotted the whale outside his apartment yesterday morning (21 May).
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The 51-year-old said he walked to the front window “with his coffee in hand and was stumped to see a whale on the small beach below my apartment”.
He added: “It’s not every day you find a whale washed up on your doorstep.”
It appeared in the small village of Los Roques in Tenerife, Spain, as reported by What’s The Jam.
The sperm whale, known locally as a cachalote, was already dead by the time its carcass was swept ashore.
The authorities arrived quickly on the scene to take samples.
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The enormous corpse was lifted off the beach by a crane truck before being taken away for incineration.
It was the fourth whale to wash ashore in the Canary Islands this month.
A whale was swept ashore in the tourist town of Playa de las Américas last Friday (16 May).
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Two others appeared dead on the coast of Gran Canaria earlier this month.
Over 30 cetacean species live in Canarian waters, including dolphins, pilot whales, and sperm whales.
The Canary Islands record an average of 50 to 60 cetacean strandings each year, caused by disease, pollution, collisions, or acoustic disorientation.
READ MORE: Stranded dolphin reunited with family thanks to rescuers and helpful seal
