A whale was found washed up and dead on the beach of Meghavaram village in Srikakulam district's Santhabommali mandal on Friday, an official said.

Videos of local villagers playing and examining the whale's carcass have gone viral.

Based on the morphological characteristics and certain identification markers, it has been determined to be a Bryde's whale, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Shanti Priya Pande told PTI on Friday.

She noted that Bryde's whales, also known as tropical whales, possess three prominent ridges in front of their blowhole while their bodies are sleek with slender and pointed flippers.

The exact cause of death of the beached whale is yet to determined.

According to an estimate, the giant marine mammal is believed to be 25 feet long and weighing up to five tonnes.

Local fishermen say the whale might have died because it got trapped in shallow waters.

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