Experts believe a Fin Whale that washed up at Fistral Beach in Newquay probably died of a measles type virus.

Pathologists discovered the 54 foot whale was suffering from an inflammation of the brain after carrying out a post-mortem examination.

Veterinary pathologist James Barnett, from the Cornwall marine pathology team, stated further testing needs to be carried out to find out what exactly caused the creature’s death but is most likely to be a morbillivirus.

The virus has previously been found in several cetacean species and the Fin Whale could have caught it from an infected whale or dolphin.

Beachgoers reported the “sad sight” of the stranded whale on Wednesday, November 15 at about 7am and the post-mortem was carried out the same day.

The huge juvenile Fin Whale had been spotted off the Cribbar the day before behaving strangely as if it was ill before the animal stranded.

Pathologists confirmed at the time that the Fin Whale was a female and about two years old.

The whale was malnourished, which was determined due to her thin blubber layer.

Cornwall Council bought in specialist machinery including a truck and a digger to dismantle the whale carcass.

Containers were put in place at the beach car park to store its remains before they were taken away.

The unitary authority closed off the beach whilst the whale was removed.

The Fin Whale is the second-longest species on Earth, after the blue whale, and are normally found in deep, offshore waters, primarily in temperate to polar latitudes.

The largest fin whales are reportedly capable of growing to a length of 27.3 metres long, with a maximum confirmed length of 25.9 metres. 

Described by American naturalist Roy Chapman Andrews as the 'greyhound of the sea', the Fin Whale, regarded as vulnerable on the conservation status by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It was heavily hunted during the 20th century, leading to it being regarded as endangered. 

The scale of loss is staggering; over 725,000 fin whales were reportedly taken from the Southern Hemisphere between 1905 and 1976 and by 1997, it is believed only 38,000 survived. Despite a moratorium on commercial hunting issued by the International Whaling Commission, the species are still hunted by Iceland and Japan. 

With a maximum recorded weight of 74 tonnes and a maximum estimated weight of 114 tonnes, the Fin Whale's preferred food comprises of small schooling fish, squid and crustaceans including copepods and krill. 

They are often seen in all major oceans from polar to tropical waters, with the exception of waters close to the pack ice at the poles and small areas of water away from the open ocean.