Residents near the Torrey Pines State Beach in San Diego, California woke up to very interesting news on March 24. There is a juvenile whale carcass washed ashore, and it is stinking.
Rangers of California State Park learned of the 28-foot dead gray whale when one of the visitors happened to see it at 6:30 a.m. It was lying dead for an unknown duration on the northern side of Flat Rock Beach, near the beach trail and a parking lot.
A necropsy performed by San Diego's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) led by biologist Kerri Danil revealed that based on the whale's length, It is about 2 years old. It is also a female.
NOAA has not yet provided an official cause of death, but it has noted propeller marks, which may suggest the whale may have been struck by a ship. More tests are necessary to determine whether these marks occurred before or after the whale's death. A team has also been tasked to collect samples NOAA can use to study more of the whale, including genetics.
The San Diego Natural Museum wants to keep the skeletal remains while the rest of the body may be hauled to a landfill. That, however, may have to wait until Friday morning.
The whale, now lying close to the entrance of the park after having been forklifted, has become an instant attraction to visitors and hikers who are amazed of the discovery but "disgusted" by the smell.
"It shocked me when I looked I thought 'oh my gosh, I have never seen this before,'" said April Russano, one of the morning hikers.
The assault on the senses is further worsened as the whale begins decomposing. "That stuff is coming out of it so that of course is going to stink, so it really smells bad," admitted Madison Erikson, a visitor.
Gray whales are a common sight in the beaches of San Diego between the months of October and May when they take a long trip from Alaska. At least 20,000 of them migrate from the frigid waters of the Arctic to the warm temperatures of Baja California where female whales give birth to their young. Although these whales may travel alone, they normally migrate in pods or groups.
Photo: Sam Beebe | Flickr
