MANILA, Philippines? (UPDATE) A tug boat in Manila?s South Harbor late Monday afternoon bumped into the carcass of a Minke whale.

Coast Guard authorities, informed of the find, said it was the first time ever they saw a dead whale in Manila Bay, a major shipping channel.

The crew of the Super Ferry?s MV Our Lady of Good Voyage found the whale, described to be ?the size of two sports utility vehicles? in both length and diameter, floating near the Manila Bay breakwater at Pier 13.

The whale was later measured at 10-meters long (33 feet).

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) towed the whale to their nearest command fleet and called the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

BFAR director Malcom Sarmiento said they would conduct an autopsy on the female adult whale to determine what caused its death.

Sarmiento said the whale had to be removed and put out of public reach because it was ?toxic.?

?Heavy metals? were detected in the whale?s digestive tract.

Sarmiento said the whale had been dead for about 24 hours when it was discovered.

The discovery was odd, he said, since it was rare for a whale to drift close to the country?s shores. The BFAR official pointed to three possible causes: the whale was looking for food, it took shelter because of its injuries or it was responding to climate change.

Lem Aragones of the University of the Philippines? institute of environmental science and biology told the Agence France Presse that the whale may have died of natural causes or may have been hit by a boat before it was washed up.

The Minke whale or lesser Rorqual is commonly found in the north Atlantic and north Pacific areas and is one of the most common breeds.

They are characterized by a narrow V-shaped head with a sharply pointed snout, relatively short flippers, black or dark gray backs, and white bellies.

Minke whales feed on a wide range of fish and squid, and are hunted by Japanese and Norwegian whalers for scientific and commercial purposes.

They may grow up to 30-feet long and can weigh up to 10 tons. The group Antarctic Connection puts the population of Minke whales at 500,000.