Cottontail wasn't seen again until Feb. 27. That's when he was confirmed dead. The deceased body of the whale cataloged #3920 was located by the South Carolina aerial survey team from Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute (CMARI) on Saturday afternoon about 15 miles off the coast of Myrtle Beach, according to a news release. The whale's death marks the third for the 2020-21 season and the 34th Unusual Mortality Event (UME). According to NOAA, the leading category for the cause of death for this UME is “human interaction,” specifically from entanglements or vessel strikes. Cottontail was first seen to be entangled in October 2020 by the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) aerial survey team. The team was en route to search for another entangled right whale south of Nantucket. Cottontail had a line over his head, exiting both sides of his mouth, extending beyond his tail. CCS removed some gear from the whale and added a satellite buoy for tracking.