WELLINGTON, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- A 21.7-meter-long pygmy blue whale has washed ashore at Carters Beach near Westport on New Zealand's South Island, the Department of Conservation (DOC) said Tuesday.

Photo: Agencies

The whale was spotted in the surf on Monday before coming ashore on Tuesday, said Kushla Tapper, DOC acting operations manager for the Buller District.

The animal was estimated to weigh about 20 tons, Radio New Zealand (RNZ) reported.

The whale appeared to have died recently, but the cause of death was unknown. Tissue samples were collected for further research, Tapper was quoted as saying.

The whale drew a crowd of curious residents. DOC encouraged the public to report whale sightings to help researchers better understand whale distribution and movements around New Zealand, the report said.