A whale carcass has washed up onto a beach in the Highlands.
The whale was found at Loch Fleet nature reserve, which is about 45 miles north of Inverness on the Sutherland coast.
Nature Scot, which manages the reserve, said: “Sadly, we can confirm that a dead whale has been found on the sand banks at Loch Fleet.
“We have reported it to the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme.”
The scheme is a dedicated research and reporting project for stranded cetaceans, pinnipeds, marine turtles and large sharks in Scotland.
The discovery comes about two weeks after a minke whale washed up on a beach in North Berwick, which saw workers spend hours removing the the nine-tonne mammal.
On Thursday, contractors were hoping they can remove the carcass of a 55ft (17m) fin whale which washed up in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, earlier this week and died on Tuesday.
Since then, the huge carcass has become a macabre tourist attraction, with families coming down to look and people taking selfies.
There were concerns the whale would have to be dissected to remove it from the beach but East Riding of Yorkshire Council has said it is now hoping to move it whole.
