A MASSIVE whale has washed up on a Scots beach but cops are warning locals it could explode at any time.
The huge minke whale was discovered on Irvine Beach in Ayrshire this morning and reported to the Coastguard at around 10am.
It’s not known how the 23ft (7 metres) creature died, but its tongue was distended which happens when decomposition gasses build up and cause the tongue to swell.
Dog walkers and locals using the beach formed a small crowd, keen to catch a glimpse of the whale.
However police were on scene warning people to stand back in case the mammal exploded due to a build up of internal decomposition gasses inside the whale.
Dog walker Margaret Taylor, 64, “It’s quite sad actually seeing it there. Whatever has happened to it is such a shame.”
Local resident Alex Kerr, 47, said: “I heard on Facebook about so I came down to see for myself. It’s a shame to see it dead but it’s quite impressive seeing the size of it.”
Minke whales are the smallest baleen whale species in the UK. can reach up to 35 feet (10 metres) in length and can weigh between five to 10 tonnes.
They are usually found in Scottish waters between May to October and are known to migrate to more tropical waters in winter.
A spokesman for HM Coastguard said: “Ardrossan Coastguard Rescue Team has been sent to a report made at about 10am on 16 December of a whale washed up at Irvine beach.”
HM Coastguard will now liaise with North Ayrshire Council to decide how best to dispose of the carcass.
It comes six months after a basking shark was found on Maidens Beach in Ayrshire.
Locals stumbled upon the stricken creature at the popular beauty spot near Trump Turnberry Hotel and Resort on July 1 after it appeared to have become tangled up in discarded fishing rope.
Basking sharks are an endangered species which are often spotted off the Ayrshire coast in the summer months.
It is the second largest shark or fish, after the whale shark, however, they usually sink when they die, so they are rarely found washed up.
