HARRIS, SCOTLAND — A sperm whale that became stranded and died on a Scottish beach had 100kg of garbage in its stomach, according to the Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme (SMASS).<br /><br />According to an SMASS Facebook post on December 1, the animal had been dead for two days by the time workers examined the carcass. <br /><br />According to SMASS, the juvenile whale measured 14 meters long. Approximately 100 kilograms of garbage was found in its stomach, including nets, ropes, plastic cups and bags, gloves and packaging.<br /><br />SMASS said that debris in the whale originated from both fishing and land sectors and that the animal had been eating litter for quite some time.<br /><br />The whale could have swallowed the debris between the Azores to Norway and efforts to explain why this whale ingested so much garbage is still ongoing.<br /><br />While the garbage did not appear to block the whale's intestines, SMASS said the debris caused indigestion and may have played a role in the stranding that resulted in the whale's demise.
