Blue Whale Washes Ashore At Daly City Beach
DALY CITY (CBS SF) -- A blue whale carcass washed up on shore Wednesday afternoon at Thornton State Beach in Daly City.
Chopper 5 shot video from overhead that showed the whale's body being tossed around in the surf. It was spotted about 12:30 p.m. about a quarter mile from shore and has since drifted closer, Marine Mammal Center spokesman Giancarlo Rulli said.
The male whale washed ashore near the Mar Vista Stables. Officials from the Marine Mammal Center have sent a team member to look at the carcass but they don't yet know the length of the whale.
The center, along with its partners including the California Academy of Sciences, were deciding whether to send a necropsy team out Wednesday or wait until Thursday.
Because there were only a few hours of daylight left Wednesday, it will likely be Thursday, Rulli said.
With the tide expected to rise Thursday, scientists hope the whale gets pushed up the beach so they'll have more access to it, Rulli said.
Once the whale is on shore, they'll perform the necropsy to determine the cause of death.
They will also check for any trauma that could've been brought on by human interaction such as a propeller strike from a passing vessel.
