What will happen to dead humpback whale found on SLO County beach? And what killed it?
After a dead humpback whale washed up on a San Luis Obispo County beach this weekend, agencies are investigating what killed the massive marine mammal — and debating what to do with its body.
“(We’re) looking at opportunities bury it, because that’s obviously one of the options,” said Dan Falat, superintendent of California State Parks’ San Luis Obispo Coast District.
But hauling the whale back into the ocean is not currently an option, Falat said.
The whale carcass washed up in the surf south of Cayucos on Saturday along Montecito Beach, near Old Creek Road.
Observers said it appeared the whale had been mauled, with large chunks bitten out.
The Channel Islands Cetacean Research Unit is working with State Parks and the California Fish and Wildlife Department to determine the culprit.
“Preliminary inspection indicate bite marks from great white sharks (not killer whale),” CICRU large whale stranding coordinator Diane Alps wrote on Facebook Sunday. “Which would be post-mortem, and not the cause of death of this whale.”
The body belongs to a juvenile humpback whale less than a year old and measures about 24 feet, or, 7 1/2 meters, in length, Alps said.
“This whale is likely deceased several days,” she said.
The discovery of the carcass “gives us a chance to look at some of the morphology and anatomy (of humpback whales),” Alps said. “And we really can learn a lot from these dead whales beyond cause of death.”
Asked what should be done with the carcass, Alps suggested leaving it alone.
“Best cases you leave it there and let nature take its course, because it does provide just a wealth of nutrients to the ocean and the natural ecosystem,” Alps told The Tribune.
CICRU is a nonprofit organization that evaluates both man-made and natural deaths of cetacean species, which includes whales, dolphins and porpoises, according to its website.
Individuals can report beached cetaceans by calling the CICRU stranding hotline at 805-500-6220.
This story was originally published July 11, 2022 at 12:23 PM.