Humpback Whale Weighing 40 Tons Washes Up On Cape Cod Beach

EAST SANDWICH (CBS) – A 45-foot, 40-ton humpback whale washed up on East Sandwich Beach on Monday evening. The female named "Vector" was well known to researchers in the area.

The whale was spotted Saturday floating in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

The International Fund For Animal Welfare towed its carcass to Sandy Neck Beach in nearby Barnstable on Tuesday. Crews used heavy machinery to pull the whale out of water and prepare it for necropsy Wednesday.

Sightings of Vector go back to 1984. She is known to have five calves.

"She was first known to us floating in the bay on Saturday, so she's been deceased for several days now," said Sharon Boutilier of IFAW. "She beached, landed, yesterday afternoon on East Sandwich Beach around 3:30 p.m."

The sight of the whale has captivated crowds.

"I've lived on the Cape for 19 years I haven't even seen a live whale, so this is my first whale that I've ever seen," said Tianna Gilmour.

"You don't see this every day, there's always something new in the ocean but I'll probably never see this again in my life," said Shane Kopcak. "It's sad, it's really sad."