TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. () — Two melon-headed whales stranded in December, one on Tybee Island and the other on Sea Island, marking the first documented strandings on Georgia’s coast.

The Georgia Marine Mammal Stranding Network, which the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) coordinates, said that the first whale was reported on Tybee Island on Dec. 26 by Tybee Island Public Works.

The whale was initially identified as a pygmy killer whale but was later updated to a melon-headed whale based on the head and flipper shape.

It was thin and a site necropsy found that its stomachs were empty, a DNR official said.

The second whale was found by the public on Dec. 28 on Sea Island. This whale was also thin, and its stomachs were empty.

The Sea Island whale’s carcass showed signs of “extensive shark scavenging” and was decomposed, a DNR official said.

Illness was listed as the possible cause for the stranding of both the Tybee Island whale and the Sea Island whale.

Melon-headed whales can be found around the world and typically reside in deep, tropical waters, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Division said.

The Georgia Marine Mammal Stranding Network responds to stranded marine mammals, investigates human impacts and monitors population health along with education and conservation work through DNR.

The network said that they have documented an average of 34 stranded dolphins and whales per year since 2005.