A 35-foot humpback whale that washed ashore at Gateway National Recreation Area in Sandy Hook this week likely died due to blunt force trauma consistent with a vessel strike, according to preliminary findings from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center.

The necropsy was performed Thursday, April 2, just one day after the whale was discovered deceased on the beach. Experts from the MMSC were joined by the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society and the MERR Institute to conduct the examination under challenging weather conditions.

The whale was a young female measuring 35 feet, 1 inch in length and weighing an estimated 17 tons. Biologists noted she was in good body condition.

Preliminary results showed significant bruises on the right side of the body and head. These injuries are consistent with a suspected ship strike.

The team observed old scars on the whale's flukes (tail), indicating a previous entanglement that she had survived.

The whale had been actively feeding prior to her death, as evidenced by a full gastrointestinal tract.

Following the examination, the whale was buried on-site at the beach. Biologists collected various biological samples for histopathologic analysis to determine if the vessel interaction occurred before or after the animal had died.