Carcass of stranded whale removed from beach

The whale was removed from Fistral beach on Thursday

A 16m (52ft) fin whale that was found dead on a beach in Cornwall has been removed.

Fistral beach, which had been closed on Thursday while the carcass was dismantled and taken away, has reopened.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust said pathologists had also confirmed the female whale was about two years old.

Anthea Hawtrey-Collier, a marine stranding expert with the trust, said it was clear the animal was very unwell from its thin blubber layer.

Fistral beach was reopened once the carcass had been removed

"We're just waiting to see what the cause of that illness is," she said.

"She hadn’t fed for quite some time."

The whale was found on Wednesday morning and a post-mortem examination was completed the same day.

The trust said the results would not be known for at least a week.

Ms Hawtrey-Collier said the stranding in the prominent location of Fistral had raised awareness of the need to keep an eye out for marine animals in potential danger.

She added: "There are a lot more whales being spotted alive off our coastline at the moment."

Healthy fin whales have a life expectancy of more than 100 years, with females growing up to 30m (98ft) in length, according to Wildlife and Dolphin Conservation.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust said the whale was about two years old