Minke Whale Skull Washes Up On Island Beach State Park

BERKELEY, NJ — A massive skull that washed along the shore of Island Beach State Park on Monday sparked curiosity among marine experts and beachgoers.

After thousands of people guessed what it could be on social media, authorities from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection determined that the skull belonged to a minke whale.

We have confirmed that this is the ventral (lower) jaw and skull of a Minke whale. https://t.co/lIISxVAzYW
— New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (@NewJerseyDEP) June 2, 2021

Bob Schoelkopf, director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, said the whale was buried on the beach in June 2020.

“We looked at our records, saw where the last species was that we buried and it was about the same area,” Schoelkopf said.

Surging tides washed sand away over the weekend, which exposed the skull along the shore.

It’s common to bury whales in the sand of the beaches and parks where they are stranded due to their size, Schoelkopf said.

“When you have an animal that weighs several tons, it’s very difficult to move it off the beach and it’s also expensive,” he said. “It was buried last year when it washed up dead, and because of erosion and high tides the skull surfaced again.”

Minke whales can weigh 20,000 pounds and be as long as 35 feet, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The skull and jaw of the whale were mostly intact, Schoelkopf said. He hopes the state park will add the skull to their educational area for kids to learn about whales.

If anyone finds animal remains on the beach, people should leave them where they are and report it to the Department of Environmental Protection or the Marine Mammal Stranding Center.

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