CLIVE: A gray whale that washed up on the Sonoma Coast over the weekend was the eighth large marine mammal found dead on a Northern California beach in recent weeks.
The 28-foot juvenile whale, which came ashore on Portuguese Beach on Friday night or Saturday morning, is decomposing and probably has been dead for some time, according to California State Parks officials.
The cause of death isn’t clear. Scientists with the Marine Mammal Center took a tissue sample from the carcass to study.
State park officials are hoping the whale will be disposed of naturally over the next few days or weeks, said Supervising Ranger Jeremy Stinson. “Our hope is high tide or large surf may either wash it back out to sea or bury it in the sand,” Stinson said.
This month marks the end of the annual migration for thousands of gray whales from breeding and birthing waters off the Mexican coast to feeding waters near Alaska. During that period, several dead whales have mysteriously showed up on North Coast beaches.
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