'Second largest species' of whale found on Balmedie beach

The whale was found at Balmedie

A dead whale - believed to be the second largest species in the world - has washed up on an Aberdeenshire beach.

Believed to be a fin whale, it was found at Balmedie beach on Thursday.

Aberdeenshire Council said it was aware of the beaching, and that it was responsible for dealing with it.

The local authority said in a statement: "Our teams will be assessing this to decide on the most appropriate course of action to take."

The fin whale is the second largest species on the planet, behind the blue whale.

Fin whales can grow to up to 27m (88ft) in length and dive to depths of more than 200m (656ft) to catch fish and krill.

Sightings of the whales around Scotland are rare.