Wildlife officials said the whale looked very sick and had signs of a parasitic disease.
TORRANCE, Calif.—Lifeguards and wildlife officials cleared a dead whale from Torrance Beach Aug. 11 after performing a partial necropsy on the 51-foot mammal that washed up on shore on the evening of Aug. 10.
The fin whale, second largest mammal after the blue whale, was towed back to sea after being beached for more than 12 hours, authorities said.
Lifeguards discovered the whale around 6 p.m. Aug. 10 near the beach between Redondo Beach and Malaga Cove, according to a Los Angeles County Lifeguards post on X. The animal was found inside the surf line and died before rescuers arrived.
The Marine Mammal Care Center (MMCC) in San Pedro and the National Marine Fisheries Service responded to the scene and determined that the whale was deceased, lifeguards said.
On Aug. 11 morning, Torrance officials announced that the beached whale was being secured for a necropsy and that a foul odor might be present. The public was advised to avoid the area for an unknown duration.
The MMCC was able to finish necropsy to the best of its ability before the tide rose higher, and swimmers were advised to use caution.
The MMCC told City News Service earlier Aug. 11 that a cause of death was not yet confirmed, but that the male whale looked very sick and had signs of a parasitic disease. The animal was not fully grown according to the MMCC, and measured 51 feet. When they are full grown, fin whales measure up to 70 feet.
MMCC officials said they would be taking samples and blood work to identify the cause of death, but that might take weeks or even months in part because fin whales are a recovering endangered species in California.
The whale was believed to be in poor health due to visible bumps on his skin and a thin build, according to the MMCC.
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