A whale never seen before off Connecticut shores washed up on a beach on Fishers Island.
Researchers at Mystic Aquarium said they were notified about the whale carcass yesterday. Pictures today confirmed it as a Cuvier's beaked whale.
The Cuvier's beaked whale is seen in waters around the globe, but usually stays in open waters and does not usually come near land, according to Janelle Schuh, stranding coordinator for Mystic Aquarium's animal rescue program. It is the first whale of this species the aquarium has seen wash ashore in this area.
The whale appears badly decomposed, and researches say it's not clear if it somehow beached itself, or if it died out to sea and then drifted ashore.
Mystic Aquarium is planning to send a research team to Fishers Island on Sunday to inspect the whale.
Fishers Island is in New York waters but sits just about two miles off the coast of Groton.
