Taipei: A 10.5-meter-long whale that washed ashore in northeastern Taiwan in early March has been confirmed as a fin whale, marking the first recorded case of a complete fin whale beaching in the country, the Taiwan Cetacean Society (TCS) said Thursday.

According to Focus Taiwan, the fin whale was officially identified as a calf on Wednesday, based on the incomplete fusion of its vertebral growth plates, as stated in a Facebook post by the TCS. The initial reports of the fin whale surfaced on March 3 when its carcass was spotted on the rocky shores of a lake on Guishan Island's northern coast.

The challenging terrain of the remote location initially impeded an on-site investigation. It was not until March 27, when government assistance enabled a TCS team to access the site and collect samples. During their investigation, they observed multiple fractures along the whale's vertebrae, though it remains uncertain whether these injuries were sustained before or after the whale's death.

The TCS team successfully retrieved the entire skeleton, transporting it to higher ground. Skin and muscle samples were also collected and sent to the National Museum of Natural Science for further examination. Fin whales, known to grow to 22-23 meters in length and weigh 40-50 metric tons as adults, are the second-largest marine mammals globally, following the blue whale.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified fin whales as a "vulnerable" species. The TCS noted that Taiwan marks the southernmost habitat range for the North Pacific fin whale population.