A juvenile humpback whale found washed up on a beach in Scotland had been entangled in rope for “weeks, if not months”.
The 30ft-long marine mammal was discovered on earlier this month at John Muir Country Park, near Tyninghame.
It had been entangled in some rope and is believed to have died shortly before it was found.
Dr Andrew Brownlow, veterinary pathologist for the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme, told the BBC he had found nothing in its stomach.
He said: “This was an entanglement case and from the tissue lesions it had been like this for weeks, if not months.
“It stops the animal from being able to feed properly or exhibit normal behaviour, which weakens the animal and then it drowns.”
He added that due to the whale’s weakened state, it had more parasites than he had ever seen in an animal its size.
It is believed the whale became entangled with were fisherman’s ropes.
Markings on the whale’s tail – or fluke – show it was the same whale spotted in the Firth of Forth some weeks before it washed up.
There was a marine buoy attached to it when previously seen.
It was considered to be a juvenile due to its size.