‘Signature’ marks found on beached whale lead experts to culprits in California death

A 52-foot fin whale found dead on a California beach posed a mystery — until experts found “signature” bite marks on the body.

“Originally the biologists thought the wounds on the fin whale were from sharks, but after checking with experts, concluded that they were actually made by killer whales,” Michael Milstein, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration spokesperson, told McClatchy News by email.

The rake-like bites are a signature of orcas, also known as killer whales, Milstein said.

But the bites did not appear to be fatal. What caused the fin whale to beach itself and die?

“When they get attacked, they’re terrified,” Bob Pitman, a marine ecologist at the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University, told the Voice of San Diego. “Large whales, if they’re in coastal areas, go toward shore rather than stay out in open water and deal with a killer whale.”

The fin whale, an endangered species, was found near Pacific Beach in San Diego on the morning of Dec. 10, attracting a crowd of onlookers, police and firefighters said, McClatchy News reported.

Biologists could find no signs of ship strikes or propeller wounds, leaving the whale’s death a mystery at the time.

“So it may very well be that the fin whale was indeed trying to evade the killer whales and ended up ashore,” Milstein said. “You look out over the ocean and have no idea what kind of drama might be going on beneath the surface.”

Orcas from the Eastern Tropical Pacific pod have been spotted in Southern California in recent weeks. The pod is normally found off the coast of Mexico and Central America.

Whale-watching tours have reported seeing the killer whales hunt dolphins.

The fin whale’s body was later pushed back out to sea, McClatchy News reported.

Fin whales are the second-largest cetaceans next to blue whales, according to the NOAA.

They can grow up to 85 feet long and weigh up to 80 tons, the NOAA said. Fin whales live for up to 90 years. Their population was severely cut by whaling in the 1900s.

Threats to fin whales include ship strikes, ocean noise, climate change and entanglement in fishing nets, the agency said.

This story was originally published December 21, 2023 at 11:24 AM with the headline "‘Signature’ marks found on beached whale lead experts to culprits in California death."