It is not the first time a whale has washed ashore near Ardersier, as this image from January 2020 illustrates.
A sperm whale has this morning washed ashore near Ardersier with rescue teams currently assisting.
A spokeswoman for British Divers Marine Life Rescue confirmed they had been informed of the incident around 10am with one member of their team en route to provide assistance.
She added: “The North Sea is not a usual habitat for sperm whales as their usual prey of squid is very scarce, these and other deep diving animals found in these waters are usually in very poor nutritional condition.
“Once beached not a lot can be done to rescue the large mammal – This makes it very unlikely that they will survive.
Efforts to rescue the beached are ongoing.
HM Coastguard are on site and when it is safe to do so, a vet will be able to confirm the animal’s status.
The Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scene are also on site and if the animal is confirmed dead, they will then start to take samples from the animal and conduct further examination.
