French conservationists have pulled more than 16kg of plastic from the stomach of a dead whale.
The Cuvier’s beaked whale washed ashore on France’s west coast, prompting the beachside autopsy.
“They were mainly plastic bags, but we also managed to identify packets of crisps, bags of pasta, bags from various stores and bags of filters,” an Instagram post from environmental group Itsas Arima read.
“They are incredible animals, able to dive nearly 3000m deep for food and plastic is clearly not part of their diet.”
Whales and dolphins are typically able to discern plastic from food, unlike animals like turtles and many fish.
But the conservationists believe a parasitic disease prevented the whale from eating its normal diet.
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The image above – Plastic pulled from the stomach of a dead whale on a French beach. (Itsas Arima)