Gray whale washes up dead on Alameda beach

ALAMEDA A dead gray whale was discovered rolling in the surf off Alameda South Shore Beach according to the Marine Mammal Center and the California Academy of Sciences The whale marks the fourth gray whale to wash up in San Francisco Bay this year It comes less than two weeks after four whales washed up in the San Francisco Bay in a week-and-a-half span an occurrence that scientists deemed strange The gray whale drifted overnight from the surf near Robert W Crown Memorial State Beach where it was spotted by the U S Coast Guard to a location off Alameda mentioned Giancarlo Rulli the associate director of populace relations for the Marine Mammal Center The California Academy of Sciences and East Bay Regional Parks arranged for the whale to be towed to Angel Island State Park by a private towing provision so that a necropsy can be conducted according to a declaration from the Marine Mammal Center and California Academy of Sciences The centers are reviewing logistics to conduct a necropsy later this week in an attempt to learn the whale s cause of death Scientists suspect that this gray whale is the same that was first spotted floating near the rock wall at the USS Hornet Museum on Thursday morning but they have yet to get confirmation the centers reported The centers verified that the whale was no longer floating near the museum Monday Related Articles Why did four whales wash up in San Francisco Bay in a week and a half Whalefest Monterey stars a whale skeleton abalone races on April - Juvenile minke whale that was beached off Emeryville euthanized Bob the Minke Whale determined dead after week in California harbor Commercial Dungeness crab season closing in Monterey Bay The Marine Mammal Center sent a research vessel to take blubber and skin samples of the whale in Alameda on Friday morning the centers announced Scientists verified that that whale was an adult female We urge beachgoers prior to the whale being towed to give this animal space while in the surf for their own safety the Marine Mammal Center mentioned in a message A juvenile minke whale also beached itself near Emeryville earlier this month and was euthanized due to abnormal behavior