Rare narwhal washes ashore in Belgium

The dead body of a narwhal was discovered yesterday by walkers at a sea lock along the River Schelde near Bornem, in Antwerp province. The marine mammal, often called the 'unicorn of the sea', is a medium-sized whale with a long tusk. The animal is mostly found in the Arctic seas, writes Het Laatste Nieuws.

A narwhal was spotted in the Netherlands in 1912, which makes this latest discovery the most southerly yet, according to the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, which came to retrieve the animal. An autopsy will be carried out by the University of Ghent, after which the skeleton will be placed in the Brussels Museum of Natural Sciences.