Dead Giant Blue Whale Washed Up On Shore
“This the tragic sight of the largest mammal in the world – a majestic blue whale – washed ashore after being struck and killed by a passing ship. The 70-foot female was found on the Northern California coast on Monday night with two gashes on her back – one that was eight feet long. She was spotted on the shore near Fort Bragg in Mendocino County hours after an ocean survey vessel reported hitting a whale a few miles away, said Joe Cordaro, a wildlife biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s marine fisheries service. ‘I was personally jazzed just to see the animal,’ said Thor Holmes, a lecturer in mammography at the school. The whale had two gashes on its back – at least one of which was deep enough to cut through the blubber down to the vertebral column, Holmes said. One gash was eight feet long. It’s unusual for blue whales to wash ashore, Cordaro said. Last week, another blue whale washed up in Monterey County after being hit by a ship.” w/ photo
