Why are so many whales washing up dead on east-coast beaches?

The magnificent creatures are essentially jaywalking

Lido, N.Y.: The remains of a male humpback whale lies on the beach at Lido Beach, New York, on January 30, 2023. (Photo by James Carbone/Newsday RM via Getty Images) — Moby digImage: Getty Images

Mar 16th 2023|NEW YORK

Luna was last seen alive in September off the coast of Nova Scotia. Scientists had been tracking the 40-year-old whale for decades. Like all humpback whales his tail, called a fluke, had distinctive pigmentation patterns. These are used by scientists as a sort of fingerprint. Luna’s fluke had a moon shape, hence his name. Those tracking him knew every scar and took note of new ones whenever they saw him. The next time he was seen was when his carcass washed ashore in January on Lido Beach on Long Island, about 40 miles (65km) from Manhattan and 600 miles from Nova Scotia.

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Ahab in Brooklyn”