13,000-pound sea creature washes up on California beach, photos show. What to know
.jpg "A dead 13,000-pound gray whale washed ashore at Little Dume Beach in Malibu, California news sources report.")
A dead gray whale estimated to weigh about 13,000 points washed up on a Malibu beach, California news sources reported.
The 25-foot-long body was seen washed ashore Saturday, March 16, at Little Dume Beach, KCAL reported.
Nearby resident Dylan Strickland called it “part of the cycle of nature” but said it was “really sad,” KTTV reported.
There were no obvious signs of the whale’s cause of death, the California Wildlife Center told KNBC.
Lifeguards urged the public to keep a safe distance from the whale, which was still in the surf line, preventing a detailed examination, KCAL said.
Adult gray whales can reach up to 49 feet in length and weigh up to 90,000 pounds, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
They make one of the longest migrations of any mammal, moving up to 14,000 miles round-trip each year. They are protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Little Dume Beach is about a 35-mile drive west of downtown Los Angeles.
This story was originally published March 17, 2024 at 2:24 PM with the headline "13,000-pound sea creature washes up on California beach, photos show. What to know."