In a mysterious summer trend, another dead whale has washed up on the shores of California’s Pacific beaches, according to marine officials.
The humpback whale, just one in a string of numerous dead whales found in the area, washed ashore on Sunday, SFGate reports.
Back in April, the rotting carcass of a sperm whale was discovered on a beach in Mori Point, and in May, a humpback whale washed up on Sharp Park Beach in Pacifica.
Inexplicably, another dead whale was spotted off the Pacifica Coast just this week; this one was floating in the shipping channels. The whale was a few miles off the coast and “swollen to the size of a house,” according to CBS.
“We found this Humpback Whale, floating, rather bloated,” said Tom Mattusch, who was aboard the fishing vessel Hulli Cat on its way back from a Farallon bird watching trip when he spotted the dead whale.
“I’ve been coming out on the ocean since 1967, and this is the first bloated, floating whale that large I’ve ever seen,” Mattusch stated.
I’ve been coming out on the ocean since 1967, and this is the first bloated, floating whale that large I’ve ever seen.
Mattusch alerted the Coast Guard about the floating whale. Scientists don’t know how the whale died. Meanwhile, the increased number of dead whales washing onto Bay Area shores has researchers baffled.
“We’ve had reports over the last two weeks that there have been large numbers of Humpback Whales and Blue Whales seen feeding off the Farallon Islands,” said Moe Flannery of the California Academy of Sciences.
We’ve had reports over the last two weeks that there have been large numbers of Humpback Whales and Blue Whales seen feeding off the Farallon Islands.
In late July, the dead carcass of a rare, beaked whale washed ashore Jones Beach in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
