An examination has been scheduled to determine the cause of death of a right whale.
The whale believed to be a juvenile female washed ashore at Cow Bay in Edgartown on Sunday.
Crews from the International Fund for Animal Welfare and others secured the whale's carcass, which weighs approximately 11 tons, and pulled it back out to sea with a tug boat.
The aim is to move the carcass to another beach and bury it following a necropsy.
While the cause is not yet known, the tail area showed evidence of some form of entanglement.
At least 55 North Atlantic right whales have been killed or injured by boat strikes or being caught in fishing gear since 2017.
The species is considered critically endangered.
(Photo by LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images)
Photo: LUIS ROBAYO / AFP / Getty Images