In a rare event, a dead 15-foot whale washed up on a beach in Wales in the United Kingdom on Christmas Day.
The whale was found on Ynyslas Beach near Aberystwyth on the west coast of Wales.
David Jones told BuzzFeed News his dad spotted it while walking the family's dogs on Christmas morning.
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"We drove back to see it with out cameras, and must have been about 11 a.m. when I shot that," he said.
"It washed up at the top of the beach. I saw it again today and the tide has actually moved it about 400 yards down the beach towards the public entrance."
15ft Minke whale washed up on #ynyslas beach on Christmas Day morning (#borth #aberystwyth)
Jones said he believed the whale was a Minke but couldn't be sure. "I don't think there are any other types of whale in the sea near us here."
He said it was a pretty rare sight. "I've seen a bottlenose dolphin skeleton washed up a few years ago. Never a whale."
Sad to see this Minke whale stranded on Ynyslas beach
Minke whales are generally solitary creatures that are found from the tropics to the ice edges in the northern hemisphere.
Sightings of Minke whales have declined in U.K. waters in recent years due to a decrease in prey, conservation groups report.
There's a dead minke whale on Ynyslas beach
A spokesperson for HM Coastguard told WalesOnline: “We had reports about a whale washed up on shore on Christmas Day, however due to the bad weather we were unable to remove it.
“If the whale had been alive the situation might have been different, but as I understand it the carcass is pretty badly decomposed," the spokesperson said.
“We do get whales washed up from time to time, but I wouldn’t say it is a common occurrence," the spokesperson said.