EXPERTS were called to examine the body of a dead whale found floating in the Thames near Greenhithe.
A female minke whale was recovered from the river by the Port of London Authority (PLA) after the creature was spotted floating near the shore.
The whale was a juvenile, measuring around three metres long.
A spokesman for the PLA said it is likely the whale had been dead for a number of days when it was found on September 6 and was in an advanced state of decomposition.
The remains were moved by a PLA vessel to a wharf in Gravesend.
Experts from the Zoological Society of London and the Natural History Museum then examined the body.
Samples were removed for scientific analysis and research.
Minke whales are found across the world and can grow up to 36ft long.
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