Scientists are investigating the death of a whale that washed up on Rockaway Beach.

The dead whale washed ashore Wednesday night. Neighbors reported the whale to the Atlantic Marine Conservation the next morning after the stench of the decaying mammal could be smelled nearby.

Scientists spent hours on the beach Friday performing a necropsy on the whale. They say it could take a couple of months before they are able to determine a cause of death.

This is the second incident of a dead whale in the New York and New Jersey area for the year and the first one in the state.