Whale Washes Ashore in Ocean City

UPDATE, 2:25 p.m.: Officials from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center have confirmed that a whale that washed ashore earlier today on the Seventh Street beach is dead.

"It's a very dead and badly decomposing whale that washed ashore" said Sheila Dean, co-director of the center in Brigantine. 

The whale, roughly 40 feet long, is either of the minke or fin species, Dean said. It's impossible at this point to determine how or exactly when the whale died, she added.

Curious onlookers should stay away from the dead marine mammal, as gases are building up inside its body, which could cause the carcass to explode, according to Dean.

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A whale is stranded in the shallow surf next to the Seventh Street jetty at 1 p.m. on Monday (Jan. 23).

A police officer on the scene said there were reports of the marine mammal floating offshore and that it had beached about 20 minutes ago.

Staff from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center is on the way to the beach.

At low tide, the whale is still resting in a few feet of water, making for a potentially difficult removal by officials.

A strong odor emanating from the whale permeated the beach.

Mayor Jay Gillian and Business Adminstrator Mike Dattilo were on the beach Monday afternoon surveying the scene.