A dead harbour porpoise has been discovered at a beach in South Shields.
The creature's carcass was found washed up on the sand at Sandhaven Beach by photographer Steven Lomas in the early hours of Thursday morning, March 2.
The sad discovery was made at around 6.35am and Steven then alerted the British Divers Marine Life Rescue. It is believed that the creature has since been removed from the seafront with a post-mortem examination due to be carried out.
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A spokeswoman for the British Divers Marine Life Rescue said: "The dead harbour porpoise has been reported to the Cetacean Stranding Investigation Programme and they will work with Newcastle University to retrieve the body for a post-mortem examination at a later date."
According to marine experts, the harbour porpoise can live for 24 years and can measure up to 1.9 m long. They are typically found in the northern hemisphere and are frequently seen in shallow bays, estuaries, and tidal channels, rarely at depths greater than 200 metres.
Their faces, fins, and body shapes are different from dolphins, which have longer bodies and noses, bigger mouths, as well as more curved fins.
The discovery of the harbour porpoise comes after several incidents over the past couple of years in which all manner of marine life has been washed up on our coast, including whales.
In 2021, thousands of dead crabs were seen on beaches including Seaham, Saltburn and Seaton Carew as well as areas of North Yorkshire. It led to an investigation to establish the cause of the deaths.
That same year, a dead whale was washed up on a beach in Berwick and a minke whale was found dead on the coast north of Boulmer village.
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