All six sperm whales that stranded on the Danish island of Fanø have been confirmed dead, according to reports from February 22, 2026. The whales were discovered in two groups - four were found on Friday along Denmark's North Sea coast, with two more discovered the following day. Two of the whales were still alive on Saturday, but the Danish Environmental Protection Agency reportedly chose to let them die naturally rather than intervene.
6 meters long. The whales' jaw bones will be sent for analysis at the University of Copenhagen to help determine the cause of the strandings. All the whales are believed to be young males, but why they went off course and stranded remains unclear.
This incident follows similar sperm whale strandings along the Danish coast in late January and early February 2026, including in Ålbæk Bugt in the north and Blåvand near Esbjerg.