Towan Head

At a glance

A large Fin Whale has been found dead on a beach in Cornwall.

Surfers from The Newquay Activity Centre made The Discovery at Fistral Beach at dawn.

Rob Barber, from The centre, said The 16m (52ft) whale had been seen swimming in an " uncomfortable state" off Towan Head on Tuesday.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust said marine experts were working to identify The Cause of death.

The - known as The " greyhound of The sea" for their Speed - is The World 's second-largest animal after The Blue Whale .

It is The .

Anthea Hawtrey-Collier, a marine standings data officer at The Trust , said The Animal was probably a juvenile due to its length.

But She Said it was too early to tell whether it was male or female.

" Looking at The Animal you can see it looks quite unhealthy, " She Said .

" It's quite a skinny animals and there have been parasites seen on it. . which usually indicate poor health. "

Anna Crosby, also from The Trust , said: " It was a shock to wake up to but it does happen - we get fin whales strandings around our coastline.

" What's really important now is finding out more about The Whale and why it died so we can try and learn from it. "

Ms Crosby asked people to avoid The area as The carcass could carry diseases.

She added: " We need people to stay back for their own health and safety, and so The Volunteers and scientists can do their job. "

Mr Barber, who was The First to discover The Dead whale, told he was " completely blown away" by The Animal 's size.

" It's huge when you Get Up close to it, " He Said .

" We've seen more and more whales on The North Coast over The Last 18 Months . "

The Trust said The carcass would likely be dismantled on The Beach as it could become a shipping hazard if it washes out to sea.

Devon and Cornwall Police said officers were also assisting on The Beach and urged people to stay away.

Cornwall Council, which owns The Beach , has been contacted for comment.

Source of news: bbc.com