A DOG walker was left 'quite intrigued' when he found a rare deceased whale washed on up on a Dorset beach.
Toby Hyde was walking his dogs along Burton Bradstock beach on Thursday morning when he came across the dead creature washed up on the beach.
Mr Hyde, aged 49 and of Bridport, first thought it was a dolphin or seal but was left puzzled when he took a closer look.
He said: "I started looking for it online and researching small whales that had been washed up in recent years in the UK and that one came up on my phone.
"I identified it via Google and it was found to be quite rare. I was quite intrigued and sent off photos to the Natural History Museum."
Following his find, Mr Hyde sent photos of the animal to the National History Museum who described the 'interesting find' as a pygmy sperm whale.
A figure at the London museum added he 'would be interested in collecting it for examination' and understand how and why the creature ended up on the beach.
"When I Googled it, I thought it looked like that", Mr Hyde remarked as it was confirmed it was a pygmy sperm whale.
"Not in a million years I thought it was but when National History Museum guys said that, I was quite satisfied with my Google skills."
The whale will be recovered by staff from National History Museum on Saturday (December 11) with Mr Hyde offering his help to remove the animal from the beach.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here