TORRANCE BEACH, Calif. (Gray News) – A fin whale washed up on a California beach Saturday and died before rescuers could reach it.
According to Los Angeles County Lifeguards, lifeguards responded to Torrance Beach around 6 p.m. Saturday where a fin whale estimated to be 40 feet long was in the surf.
The Marine Mammal Care Center and the National Marine Fisheries Service arrived to examine the animal, but by the time they got there, the whale was already dead, lifeguards said.
The cause of death is not yet known.
According to a report by CBS News, experts said the whale was not yet fully grown and was likely in poor health due to visible bumps on its skin. Experts also said the whale appeared thin.
After measuring the animal, officials determined that the whale was 15.5 meters long. According to NOAA Fisheries, fin whales can grow up to 26 meters long.
The fin whale is the second largest whale species on earth after the blue whale.
Using a tractor, officials removed the whale’s carcass from the beach on Sunday afternoon to perform an autopsy.
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