Endangered fin whale measuring nearly 50 feet found dead near Anchorage, drawing curious onlookers to beach
An endangered fin whale washed up near the coastal trail of Alaska’s largest city, attracting curious onlookers while biologists searched for answers to what led to the animal’s death.
The body found near Anchorage over the weekend was 47 feet (14.3 meters) long, the width of a college basketball court, and was female, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration biologists.
NOAA biologist Barbara Mahoney, who was examining the whale, told the Anchorage Daily News the whale could be 1 to 3 years old .
Fin whales are the second largest whale species, reaching a length of 85 feet when fully grown and weighing between 40 and 80 tons, according to NOAA Fisheries. ship attackentangled in fishing gearUnderwater noise and its impact climate change This is one of the threats facing fin whales, according to the agency.
Hassan Akbas/Anadolu, Getty Images
Mandy Keogh, NOAA’s marine mammal stranding coordinator, said fin whales are not typically seen near Anchorage, and recent high tides may have pushed the animals further into Knik Sound.
People trek across the mudflats to see whales, and NOAA biologists and Alaska Veterinary Pathology Service staff anchored it to the shore Sunday so they could collect samples from the animals . But Keogh said even after samples are analyzed, it can be difficult to determine a cause of death due to decay or a lack of visible damage.
Daisy Grandlinard was one of the parents who accompanied a group of children to go whale watching on Monday. She said they could smell it as they got closer.
“It’s really fun for the kids to be able to feel it, touch the bottom because it has tracks on it, almost like a sled. Just look at the size of it, that’s really cool,” she said. “We had studied whales a few weeks ago, so it was fun to see the whales in person and say, ‘Oh, this is what baleen looks like in real life’ and ‘Where are the blowholes?’ ”
Mahoney said biologists hope to complete their work by Tuesday and untie the body “to allow the tide to push it or move it.” “Whatever it does or doesn’t do — we don’t know.”
according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationIn the mid-1900s, the whaling industry killed nearly 725,000 fin whales in the Southern Hemisphere alone. Today, the main threats to the species come from ship strike.
Other fin whales have also washed up on the western U.S. coast this year. In August, a large fin whale washed ashore in Southern California and died before rescuers could reach the scene, CBS Los Angeles reports report. Officials said the whale was not fully grown and was believed to be in poor health due to visible lumps on its skin and emaciated body.
In February, a 46-foot whale was spotted washed away On the Oregon coast—emaciated, tangled, and covered in killer whale wounds.
