A post-mortem of the humpback whale 'Timmy' has revealed that it was a female, Danish biologists said on Friday, but the mammoth mammal's cause of death remains unknown.
It had already been suspected that the whale might be a female and this was later confirmed at the examination site following the long but unsuccessful effort to rescue the creature that strayed into the Baltic Sea in March.
The mystery of how the whale died remains even after an examination of the carcass on the beach of the Danish island of Anholt late on Thursday.
It is often very difficult to determine the exact cause of death in such cases, said veterinary scientist Tim Jensen from the University of Copenhagen. No injuries were apparent and although parasites were found, they were not responsible for the death.
No nets or other objects were found when the whale's mouth and stomach were examined, said Jensen.
Animal finally removed
By Friday morning, all the animal's remains had been removed from the beach, reported the TV2 broadcaster, citing the Danish Environmental Protection Agency.
Timmy drew international attention after repeatedly running aground off northern Germany and being initially freed through the concerted efforts of local authorities, environmentalists and private donors.
Sadly, the whale succumbed to its ordeal and its body washed ashore on the Danish island three weeks ago. The closing chapter of the Timmy saga will be the complete removal of its remains. The collection of containers holding them is not expected to take place for some days yet.
