Dead dolphin washes up in Lido Beach

A dolphin measuring nearly 5 feet long washed up dead at Lido Beach Wednesday morning, a Town of Hempstead spokesman said.

Workers from the Town's Conservation & Waterways Department collected the dolphin at about 6:30 a.m. about a quarter-mile west of the Lido Beach town houses, spokesman Mike Deery said. It will be turned over to biologists from the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation.

"There were no signs of physical injuries on the animal," Deery said.

Biologists from Riverhead are expected to pick up the dolphin later Wednesday, Deery said.

Town departments that patrol the beach contact the Riverhead group immediately when larger marine life washes ashore, Deery said.

The Riverhead Foundation, a nonprofit, has rescued more than 4,000 marine mammals and sea turtles since its inception in 1996, according to the group's website.