‘Fascinating’ 40-ton whale skull washes up on North Carolina beach

Beachgoers and marine biologists were stunned when the massive portion of a whale skull washed up on the beaches of North Carolina‘s Hatteras Island.

Images of the find were shared by the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Facebook page, which declared the area a hotbed for marine mammal activity.

“We’re only halfway through the week and still finding fascinating discoveries on the beaches of Cape Hatteras. Take a look at this large portion of a Humpback whale skull on Hatteras Island,” the post read.

The skull, which is estimated to weigh a reported 40-tons, belongs to a humpback whale, according to Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

“Their skulls are relatively flexible, especially around the jaw joints, which enables them to open their mouths wide to consume large volumes of water and prey. They also have mandibles [lower jaws] that are not fused to their skulls.”

After it washed up, beachgoers were reportedly warned not to venture near it until a further examination could be conducted.

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“The Outer Banks of North Carolina, known for history, hurricanes, and shipwrecks also happens to be a hotspot for marine mammal activity. At any given time, a wide arrangement of marine mammals move-about and feed very close to Cape Hatteras beaches, influenced by the southern Gulf Stream and the northern Labrador Current colliding off our coast,” the post read.

“Given its location on the Outer Banks, the barrier island chains extend into the Atlantic Ocean and come in very close proximity to the continental shelf, and for this reason a large number of strandings occur within park boundaries.”