Remains of minke whale recovered from Thames

The remains of a dead minke whale were recovered from the Thames  on 6 September by the Port of London Authority.

The body of the juvenile female whale - which was about three metres long was spotted floating near the shore in the Greenhithe area. It is likely to have been dead for some days and was in an advanced state of decomposition. The whale remains were moved by a Port of London Authority vessel to a wharf in the Gravesend area, where experts from the Zoological Society of London and the Natural History Museum carried out an examination and removed certain samples - including parts of the skeleton - for later scientific analysis and research.

The PLA is the port and navigation authority for 150km (95 miles) of the tidal Thames from the sea to Teddington.

image copyright: PLA