Dead whale found south of Gulf oil spill site

[June 17, 2010]  NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A dead sperm whale has been found floating 77 miles south of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

According to a news release, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is conducting tests to determine the circumstance around the whale's death. It wasn't known if exposure to oil caused the animal's death.

The whale was found Tuesday but its condition suggests it may have been dead for several days or more than a week.

It's the first dead whale that's been found since an oil rig exploded and sank in the Gulf in April, killing 11 workers. The whale wasn't found in oiled water but the location of its death is unknown. NOAA marine mammal experts are working to determine the location from which the whale's body may have drifted.

[Associated Press]

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