09 January 2023 , 19:56
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A dead 12ft whale has washed up on the banks of a river in Kent.
The huge mammal carcass was found along the River Medway on Friday afternoon.
HM Coastguard were called to the scene near Sittingbourne and a volunteer rescue team from the Isle Sheppey then arrived to investigate the following day.
The animal will now be sent to the Natural History Museum for examination.
A spokesperson for Sheppey Coastguard Team said: "After the animals are reported we will then get help if they are alive.
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"But, if they are sadly dead we fill out a form that needs measurements and particular information which is then sent on to the Natural History Museum.
"They then can come and see it if they wish to get more information."
A team of volunteers was dispatched to help investigate (Getty Images/iStockphoto)When any whales, dolphins, porpoises and certain fish are discovered, it must be reported to HM Coastguard, whether they are dead or alive, as they are classed as 'royal fish'.
The spokesman added: "On Saturday, Jan 7, we were tasked to a dead whale in the River Medway.
"All whales, dolphins, porpoises, and some fish if found alive or deceased must be reported to HM Coastguard as they are classed as Fish Royal."
The whale is being sent to the Natural History Museum (Getty Images)The animal's discovery comes two years after a sperm whale died when it became stranded in the Thames estuary.
The whale's body was seen just off of the Sheppey shoreline.
An endangered sei whale was also found dead in the same estuary, when it was found floating in the Thames off Gravesend, Kent, in 2019.
But there was a happier ending for 'Benny the Beluga', who hit the headlines with his unexpected visit to the Thames in September 2018.
He swam around the Gravesend area of the River Thames for months as there was plenty of food available in the estuary waters - capturing the attention of the world's media.
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He is believed to have finally headed home in January 2019 after his presence sparked a surge in visitors to the area and worldwide fame.
Last November, pictures appeared to show a whale on the English Channel off St Margaret's Bay near Dover, Kent.
The creature seemed to be heading towards nearby Ramsgate.
Just last month a minke whale had been seen swimming inside Dover Harbour, the second such sighting off the Kent coast in a week.
In October 2019 a humpback whale nicknamed Hessy by locals, was seen on the Thames near Dartford, but was killed in a collision with a ship a few days later.
It is not yet known what type of whale the latest discovery was, or the circumstances of its death.