SAN FRANCISCO, Oct.. 22, 2009
70ft Whale Beached in Northern Calif.
Officials Say Female Blue Whale Likely Struck By a Ship
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A 70-foot female blue whale, that officials believe was struck by a ship, is seen washed ashore on the Northern California coast, Oct. 20, 2009, near Fort Bragg, Calif. (AP Photo/Larry Wagner)
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The whale was first spotted on shore near Fort Bragg in Mendocino County on Monday night, 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.
Blue whales are the world's largest mammals.
Students from California State University, Humboldt, examined the whale's massive body Tuesday as it lay on its side in a rocky cove.
"I was personally jazzed just to see the animal," said Thor Holmes, a lecturer in mammology at the school. He has examined other whale species that washed ashore but never a blue whale.
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. It otherwise appeared to be in good health.
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.
Before that, the last time a blue whale washed onto a California beach was 2007.
The whales are "usually far offshore, deep water animals," Cordaro said.
Although blue whales are considered endangered, experts say they have recently made a comeback and now number several thousand.
Some blue whales feed in the waters off Central and Northern California this time of year then migrate elsewhere to breed, said Dawn Goley, an associate professor of zoology at the Humboldt campus.
Researchers have taken skin and blubber samples from the beached animal to see what contaminants it may have been exposed to and what population group it comes from.
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Add a Comment See all 27 Comments
- O.K...? Sooo what was done for the whale after the diagnosis was made and the photographs were taken?
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- Please read or re-read the article. It's obvious the whale washed up dead. The freshness of the animal for human consumption, & the ability to get needed equipment to process it is doubtful. It is an endangered species, & has nothing to do with the annual whale harvests, because they don't harvest this species. And nothing to do with politcs, wherever you tend to lean. So puhleeze folks, GET A LIFE!!
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- Blue Whale shoes for everyone!
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- "Nice" comments - so much heart and caring about this creature that is amazing and now dead.
How are you when a human dies? - Reply to this comment
- There has to be more that a ship stricking this whale because this is the second dead blue whale found this week. The first one was found off the coast of Ensenada Mx.
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- Attention this just in Attention this just in
"Green Peace ship hits 70ft Blue Whale"
Many lovers of animals have a vigil on the beach, at the same time 50 Great White sharks are swarming to get a free meal. - Reply to this comment
- You people make me ashamed to be human. Can't you see the beauty that is lost on this planet by losing a being like this? Mother Nature needs to swipe her hand, and take out a bunch of humans, so the beauty of this world can survive! I am rooting for the animals to take over, humans have done so much damage, in the name of money and greed. Republicans!
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- gatorfan1963
They should use it to feed the homeless. Just think of all the lamp oil that could be used.
- "Can't you see the beauty that is lost on this planet by losing a being like this?"
Beauty?
Take a gander at that picture again...95 tons of rancid blubber a-rotting in the sun.
The only "beauty" is the 750,000,000,000 plankton that are going to be going home to their wives today because this killer finally got his own.
- gatorfan1963
- what a beautiful , amazing creature. you hardly ever hear anything about blue whales. it's all about the humpbacks.
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- Seeing that whale reminds me of a girl I know.
She is a PETA member, does not eat any type of meat and calls dairy and poultry products "cruelty food".
Here's the punch line, she will only drive Japanese cars (currently a Toyota Highlander) for some odd reason it does not bother her that the Japanese still hunt and kill whales and you can buy canned whale meat in their stores.
I find her thinking odd, don't you?
Beautiful whale,too bad, but it might have ended up harpooned and slaughtered by a Japanese whaling boat anyway. - Reply to this comment
- Why is there no mention of whether or not the whale can be saved? They don't say it is dead but don't say what they may try to do to help it either.
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- There's a picture of some guy sitting on the whale's face.
Do you think they are discussing last nights episode of "Dancing with the Stars"?
- Yeah how sad and inhunmane to not even address the efforts or lack thereof to save the poor creature. Unbelievable. I hope we spend 100's of thousands to save this magnificent animal.. Whatever it takes. I'll donate a 100 bucks right now. Peace to all.
- by jonstorm-2009 "Yeah how sad and inhunmane to not even address the efforts or lack thereof to save the poor creature. Unbelievable. I hope we spend 100's of thousands to save this magnificent animal.. Whatever it takes. I'll donate a 100 bucks right now. Peace to all."
While you get busy spending a hundred dollars on a whale, your neighbor kept a kidnapped girl hostage in your backyard for 18 years.
Get your priorities straight!
- There's a picture of some guy sitting on the whale's face.
- Where is an Alaskan Eskimo tribe when you need one. That could feed a village for a year.
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