54-foot whale known as 'Ladders' washes ashore on Cape Cod

PROVINCETOWN, Mass. — Researchers say a 54-foot fin whale that was found dead in Massachusetts was known to them for more than 30 years.

The Cape Cod Times reports the whale that washed ashore in Provincetown on Tuesday had been given the nickname "Ladders" for the twin propeller scars near its dorsal fin.

Officials at the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies say they first catalogued the male whale in 1985, and he became well-known among whale watchers.

John Conlon of the Dolphin Fleet Whale Watch tour company told the newspaper he was "more than a little familiar" with Ladders and wishes he could have seen the whale one more time.

Researchers are working to determine what killed the whale. Fin whales, considered endangered, have a lifespan of around 85 to 90 years.

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Associated Press