The Humpback Whale in the Thames River Was Found Dead

The humpback whale, seen in the River Thames, was found dead east of London between Crayford Ness and the Queen Elizabeth II bridge, Dartford and will be autopsied, Reuters reported.

The 10m long whale was found dead in the shallows in Greenhithe, Kent, yesterday and was transported to London during the night.

The London Zoo will investigate the cause of the whale's death.

The humpback whale appeared a year after the Beluga sailed for the first time near the British capital. It was called "Benny" and spent more than three months in the Thames River.

The humpback whales can reach up to 40 tons in weight and 18 meters in length. These marine mammals migrate thousands of miles from food-rich Arctic regions to tropical waters where they breed.

"Humpback whales are relatively infrequently recorded stranded around the UK coast, with an average of 1-2 year, although this is the fifth humpback whale to be recorded stranded in the UK so far this year by the CSIP.", Rob Deaville, ZSL's UK Cetacean strandings investigation programme (CSIP) project manager said.

Two other humpback whales have previously been recorded in the Thames and wider Estuary region, both of which unfortunately died, Kent Online reported.