PREVIEW

STORY COPY: A massive sperm whale carcass has been discovered washed up on a German Island.

Mussel fishermen towed the lifeless body to the port of Hörnum, off the coast of Sylt on Saturday (15Feb25), where it was secured, according to the Wadden Sea Protection Station. The whale, a male stretching up to 16 meters, had likely been dead for some time. However, the cause remains unclear. A full examination is scheduled for before its removal.

Authorities have warned against approaching the decomposing whale, even by boat. The bloated carcass, swollen with decomposition gases, has already ruptured on its back and could explode further under pressure. Beyond the risk of sudden bursts, such remains also pose a potential infection hazard.

Sperm whales, the world’s largest toothed whales, can exceed 20 meters in length and weigh over 50 tons. These deep-sea hunters rely on echolocation to navigate and often stay submerged for up to 90 minutes while diving thousands of meters in search of food. However, when they stray into the shallow waters of the North Sea, they face significant danger. In 2016, a mass stranding in the region led to the deaths of 30 sperm whales, including 12 in the German Wadden Sea.

IMAGE CAPTION: Timo Arp, butcher from Jagel, uses a chainsaw to cut up the sperm whale carcass on the beach. The approximately 14-metre-long carcass had been dragged there and secured by mussel fishermen at the weekend (15/16/02/2025). Photo: Jonas Walzberg/dpa