30-Foot Dead Whale Washes Ashore in Huntington Beach Amid Historic Storms (Video)
A massive, dead and decaying gray whale washed ashore in Southern California.
The carcass was found on Thursday, February 8th at Huntington Beach’s Bolsa Chica. Pushed ashore by heavy storms and nonstop surges of large waves from this historic El Niño season, the whale was estimated to be around 30 feet long.
Due to the extent of decay, the whale was expected to have died weeks ago; the cause of death was not immediately known, as authorities inspected.
KCAL News reported:
“The whale was discovered this morning [Thursday] as the tide went out. It does appear that the whale has been dead for some time. When exactly it died – if it was already dead in the ocean and the tide brought it in, or if it was storm-related – wildlife officials are trying to figure it out. They’re also trying to figure out what to do with it.”
Gray whales are a relatively common sight in southern California, given their migratory patterns through the region. In the winter, they hang out in Baja California, Mexico, and in the winter up in the Arctic. But they pass through the California coast along the way.
Related: Killer Whales Rip Dolphin to Shreds Right Next to Surfers in San Diego (Video)
Here’s more from NOAA about gray whales’ migration:
“Gray whales make one of the longest annual migrations of any mammal, traveling about 10,000 miles round-trip and in some cases upwards of 14,000 miles. On their migration routes they face threats from vessel strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and other sources of disturbance.”
When dead whales wash ashore or linger off the coast, however, they can also attract sharks to feed upon them. It’s an easy meal, after all.
So, surfers in HB, keep an eye out.
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