![‘Mystery whale’ is second of year to strand at Jersey Shore](https://townsquare.media/site/385/files/2024/06/attachment-Whale.jpg?w=980&q=75)
‘Mystery whale’ is second of year to strand at Jersey Shore
The second whale of the year to strand at the Jersey Shore was also a rare type that very little is known about.
A Ziphiidae, a member of the beaked whale family, was found on the St. Clair Avenue beach in Spring Lake on Thursday morning, according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center.
A certified stranding volunteer and former stranding technician were sent to examine the 13-foot-2-inch cetacean before public works crews took it to their yard where it was determined to be moderately decomposed.
A necropsy will be performed at the state Department of Agriculture's Animal Health Diagnostic Lab in Trenton.
Nineteen Beaked whales have stranded at Jersey Shore beaches since 1978, according to the MMS. They are part of one of four species: Gervais’, True’s, Cuvier’s, and Blainville’s.
Beaked whales are one of the least-known groups of marine mammals as they live in deeper waters offshore. They are elusive by nature making them difficult to examine.
ALSO READ: Taylor Swift fans will want to check out shore town's attraction
Dolphins stranding at the Jersey Shore
Since last year, 17 whales were found stranded on New Jersey beaches.
The first whale to strand this year was a 20-30 foot humpback whale found at 51st Street in the Brant Beach section of Long Beach Township. It was found to have scars from previous entanglement with bruising around its head. Its skull and cervical vertebrae were shattered, its ribs and scapula dislocated and its organs liquified.
This year, 28 dolphins were found stranded at the Jersey Shore. The most recent were on June 1 in Atlantic Highlands and June 4 in Seaside Park.
NJ 'perv' teachers, coaches busted in the past three years
Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt
Why Beach Tags Should Never Be Allowed In New Jersey
Gallery Credit: Mike Brant
More From WPG Talk Radio 95.5 FM
![NJ school sued over ‘extended and persistent’ bullying before girl’s death](http://townsquare.media/site/385/files/2024/06/attachment-Jocelyn-Jocey-Walters-courtesy-Fred-Walters.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Justice for Ellie: NJ sicko gets max prison for sex-torture of cat](http://townsquare.media/site/385/files/2024/04/attachment-cat-ellie-asbury-park.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Several parent groups in NJ labeled as conspiracy extremists](http://townsquare.media/site/385/files/2024/06/attachment-SPLC-adds-NJ-groups-in-extremist-report-SPLC-Canva.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Woman saved from overdose during DWI checkpoint in Monmouth County, NJ](http://townsquare.media/site/564/files/2024/06/attachment-Woman-saved-from-overdose-during-DWI-checkpoint-in-Monmouth-County-NJ.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![NJ son faces manslaughter charge after father’s sudden death](http://townsquare.media/site/385/files/2024/06/attachment-NJ-man-charged-after-causing-dads-death-Middletown-Kyle-Kiernan-Facebook-Day-Funeral-Home.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Juvenile and man charged in deadly Asbury Park, NJ triple shooting](http://townsquare.media/site/385/files/2024/06/attachment-Lativity-Lyons.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Man who stopped to help gets car stolen from dark NJ crash site](http://townsquare.media/site/385/files/2024/06/attachment-195-sigm1AC.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ ex-husband convicted of violent crime](http://townsquare.media/site/385/files/2024/06/attachment-Dina-Manzo-Cantin-in-ARCHIVE-photo-Ilya-S.-Savenok_Getty-Images-Google-Maps-Canva.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![NJ man stabbed his sleeping mother to death, cops say](http://townsquare.media/site/385/files/2024/06/attachment-Loretta-Parody3.jpg?w=980&q=75)