Whale Beachings in Pacifica California
Two whales have washed up on the beach in Pacifica, California, within sight of each other. Pacifica is just 15 miles south of San Francisco, California. The first to wash up was a young male sperm whale and occurred on April 14. This latest is a young female humpback whale. The young 50-foot sperm whale landed on the beach at Mori Point, while the humpback whale washed ashore just down the way at Sharp Point. The Coast Guard had noted the carcass of the 32-foot female humpback floating off the coast earlier in the week.
A Sight to See
Many people in the area have come down to the beach to see the dead animals and wonder at their size and what caused them to die and wash ashore. With two whales being …show more content…
The Bay area of San Francisco and the coast of California are prime migration routes of many whale species as they travel from the cold waters of Alaska to the warm waters off Mexico during the spring and fall.
Searching for a Cause
Scientists as the Marine Mammal Center were able to perform a necropsy on the male sperm whale, but were unable to determine the cause of death. Samples from the animal will require further testing to see if a cause can be found. Lauren Rust from the Marine Mammal Center stated that the sperm whale was thin and emaciated and was probably ill. Although the stranding of sperm whales is somewhat rare, it isn’t unprecedented. The last one found in the area was in 2008 and the cause of death was 450 pounds of garbage that the animal had swallowed.
Scientists plan to perform a necropsy on the most recent whale, the female humpback, to try to determine the cause of death when ocean conditions allow as it is currently in the waves making it impossible to work. They hope the tide will take the water far enough out to allow them to