Another dead whale has washed up at a San Francisco beach. This is the fifth dead whale to wash ashore in the Bay Area this month.
The endangered fin whale was found Saturday morning on the shores of Fort Funston, Golden Gate National Recreation Area officials confirmed on Twitter.
Scientists from The Marine Mammal Center, the California Academy of Sciences and U.C. Santa Cruz performed a necropsy Saturday afternoon.
The 46-foot, juvenile male whale likely died due to injuries sustained from a ship strike, according to TMMC.
“Ship strikes are the biggest threat fin whales face, so this investigation helps us understand the challenges these animals face and inform decision-makers so we can safely share the ocean with marine wildlife,” said Barbie Halaska, Necropsy Manager for TMMC.
The other four carcasses discovered this month were gray whales. At least one of those whales was struck by a ship, but it is not clear how the other three died.
It is unclear if the whale deaths are related.
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