A dead fin whale was found Sunday on Egypt's Alexandria Mediterranean shore, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported. The 12-metre-long black and white female whale is believed to have been washed ino the Mediterranean shores from its natural habitat at the Atlantic ocean through strait Gibraltar because of a sea storm. The 7-8-year-old rare fin whale was then pulled to the shore and found at Roshdy beach in Alexandria, Al-Ahram said. Alexandria security directorate and civil protection forces examined the whale and are set to deliver it to the National Institute for Oceanography and Fisheries. Fin whales are an endangered species that live in several areas including the Atlantic ocean. Some types reside in Egyptian waters. Unprovoked, fin whales are harmless to humans. Whales are believed to head to the shore when about to die, though there is no proven explanation for this behavior. Sometimes whales are dragged to shore by sea currents when sick or injured, as they do not have the strength to swim against the current.
