THE results of a post-mortem examination on the Thames whale have been released.
Scientists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) examined the whale's body for six to eight hours during the autopsy, which took place on a jetty close to Gravesend.
Pathologists revealed the 11-year-old female whale died on January 21 after three days in the Thames due to severe dehydration, muscle damage and kidney failure.
Northern bottlenose whales normally feed on deep water squid in the Atlantic Ocean but the whale became dehydrated as it was unable to feed while in the North Sea.
Samples of the whale's body were taken back to ZSL for further analysis. Lab tests for bacterial or viral infections and pollutants are ongoing.
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