A grey whale that had most likely been lifeless for weeks washed up on an Orange County seashore Thursday.
The decaying carcass was discovered on Bolsa Chica State Seashore in Huntington Seashore, the place officers informed onlookers to maintain their distance from the huge mammal.
“For those who do see a lifeless whale on the seashore, give it some house. We don’t at all times know why these items are on the seashore,” stated Justin Viezbicke, the California coordinator for the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Mammal Well being and Stranding Response Program.
Viezbicke stated {that a} beached whale supplies scientists with an amazing alternative to check the animal and study, however that the invention of a grey whale isn’t uncommon. Ten to 12 find yourself beached in California per yr.
Grey whales, as soon as often known as “Satan Fish” for his or her aggressive response to whalers’ harpoons, migrate yearly from the chilly Alaskan waters of the Pacific all the way down to the lagoons off the coast of Mexico. About 15,000 grey whales idle previous Southern California on their annual sojourn, in line with Viezbicke.
A grey whale can develop as much as 50 toes lengthy. The one discovered Thursday seemed to be about 30 toes, one witness informed the Orange County Register.
A fin whale that washed up on Bolsa Chica State Seashore practically two years in the past measured 65 toes.
