This morning, January 10th 2014, an unidentified beaked whale washed ashore in Little Cayman, Cayman Islands. The skin decomposition on its fluke indicates it was dead for some time before washing ashore. When scientists were notified, the whale carcass had traveled further down the shore into an inaccessible area with mangroves, preventing it from being identified to species. Photos taken by an island resident of the initial sighting have been posted to a flickr stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/114014221@N02/ There is a large inflamed area on the lower ventral side of the whale, visible in the pictures, as well as several scratches and lacerations that could indicate a vessel strike. Any information on possible cause of death or species identification would be greatly appreciated. -- Samantha Hamilton, BSc. MMM. Reef Research Assistant & Lab Manager Central Caribbean Marine Institute P.O. Box 37 Little Cayman, Cayman Islands KY3-2051 Phone: 1-345-948-1094