The body of what is believed to be a large fin whale has washed up on Barleycove beach on the Mizen peninsula.

While it is not clear what caused the whale’s death, the carcass is badly decomposed and there are large shark teeth marks evident on the carcass.

The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) is cautioning members of the public not to get close to the dead mammal.

Fin whales are the second-largest mammal in the world and can grow up to 25m long, with a typical lifespan of 80 to 90 years.

Marine biologist Jasmine Stavenow Jerremalm, a volunteer with the IWDG, said one or two fin whales wash up on Irish beaches each year.

‘When we went out to it three days ago, it had already been dead for several weeks approximately,’ she told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.

‘It [came] ashore three days ago and we went out to it and we could see that it was a female fin whale and we measured it to 17.5 metres. So, a very large whale.’

She urged the public to stay away from the carcass because they cannot determine the cause of death.

‘To do that, you need our proper post-mortem scheme with veterinary pathologists. But we can definitely say which species it was and we could collect samples which are important for future research projects.’