Bodies of sperm whale and striped dolphin wash up on Axarquía beaches

It was local residents who raised the alarm at around 10.30 am and director of the Centre for the Recovery of Marine Species (CREMA), the Aula del Mar biologist José Luis Mons, went to the scene.

After analysing the animal, Mons explained that it was a young specimen and about five metres long. He went on to say that an autopsy was impossible due to the advanced state of decomposition of the corpse, which also prevented the determination of its sex. "It is very rare, there are no more than one every five or six years on the coast of Malaga, it is an endangered species, there are very few specimens left in the Mediterranean," he told SUR.

Mons went on to say: "It is likely that its appearance is due, once again, to the storms we are having this year in Malaga.” The animal was removed with the help of a crane to be transferred to an authorised landfill.

Also on Monday a dead striped dolphin appeared on Torre de Benagalbón beach, in Rincón de la Victoria. Mons said that the animal had large shark bites and that it was also in an advanced state of decomposition. The animal was approximately 1.5 metres long.

As well as the whales and dolphins, a grey seal was sighted in Estepona and Torrox, which was later seen in Motril and Murcia earlier this month.