51-foot endangered juvenile whale dies after stranded on California beach
Fin whales are part of the rich, diverse ecosystem of Southern California. They are second only to blue whales in size and are listed as an endangered species worldwide.
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TORRANCE, Calif. – A 51-foot endangered juvenile male fin whale has died after he was stranded on a California beach on Saturday afternoon.
Lifeguards from the Los Angeles County Fire Department responded at about 6 p.m. to the distressed animal spotted inside the surfline near Torrance Beach. The whale passed away a few hours later, according to the Marine Mammal Care Center, which dispatched conservationists shortly after the whale was first reported.
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Lifeguards from the Los Angeles County Fire Department responded Saturday evening to help the distressed fin whale near Torrance Beach.
( Los Angeles County Fire Department, Lifeguard Division)
The organization said the whale was in poor condition, indicating he was sick and weak when rescuers arrived on the scene. A necropsy, or animal autopsy, is now underway.
MMCC specialist Keith Matassa told FOX 11 in Los Angeles that multiple samples were taken from the whale. These samples will be given to pathologists to determine the whale's life history and genetics. The pathologists will also try to determine why the whale died.
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The whale was very sick and weak when rescuers arrived on the scene.
( Los Angeles County Fire Department, Lifeguard Division)
According to Matassa, whales beach when they're near death because they can't support themselves out in the water.
On Sunday, the whale was tow-lined to a lifeguard boat and pulled out to sea to its watery burial to help feed other marine life, FOX 11 reports.
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The whale was towed out to sea to its watery burial ground on Sunday.
( Los Angeles County Fire Department, Lifeguard Division)
Fin whales are part of Southern California's rich, diverse ecosystem, according to the MMCC. They are second only to blue whales in size and are listed as an endangered species worldwide.