"In all likelihood, the unfortunate fin whale that died in Sorrento a few weeks ago was found in the Tethys photo identification catalog" so it could be an 'old' acquaintance.
This is what the same researchers of the institute for research and protection of cetaceans in the Mediterranean affirm in a note.
"The dorsal fin - they explain - has a very characteristic notch, also present in an individual photographed in June 1994 by Tethys researchers aboard the Urania ship during an expedition together with the CNR ITBA off the Côte d'Azur, and named in honor Unfortunately we cannot be absolutely sure of identification because the dead whale had by now lost most of its skin; in addition to the shape of the dorsal fin, individuals of this species are also identified by chevrons and blaze, the characteristic white shades behind to the head, on the right side, variable from individual to individual. The dorsal fin, however, photographed by the CERT experts who recently performed the necropsy, compared to that of the animal sighted 26 years ago, reasonably suggests that, unfortunately, we have lost an 'old' acquaintance ".
The Amp Punta Campanella has been following the story from the beginning also because it is a partner of the Cert in the LifeDelfi cetacean protection project, coordinated by the CNR.