4 dead whales have washed up along Outer Banks in past two weeks

COROLLA, N.C. — Four dead whales have recently beached along the Outer Banks and Virginia, concerning scientist over the rising death toll.

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News outlets report a humpback was found dead Sunday in Corolla, North Carolina. Crews found hemorrhaging near the back of its head under the skin, a sign of a ship strike. Another humpback was found not far away Sunday. A third turned up dead last week near Oregon Inlet. A dwarf sperm whale was also found two weeks ago.

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Karen Clark, with the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education in Corolla, says two or three humpback whales a year typically wash ashore dead between Ocracoke and Corolla. A report says 84 humpbacks died along the eastern seaboard in the past three years, causing it to be declared an "unusual mortality event."

Associated Press