A mother sperm whale and its baby have died after becoming tangled in a fishing net in the Tyrrhenian Sea off Italy's western coast, an Italian environmental group reported Thursday. The Marevivo group said the Italian Coast Guard had responded to the sighting and surmised that the mother, which measured 6 meters (nearly 20 feet), died while trying to free its baby. They were found 8 miles off the coast of Palmarola Island in the Lazio region. It said part of the fishing net was found in the mother whale's mouth while the baby while was completely covered by it. The deaths come after an 8-meter (26-foot) pregnant sperm whale was found dead on a Sardinian beach in March with 22 kilograms (48 1/2 pounds) of plastic in its belly.

Source: ABC News June 20, 2019 16:21 UTC