2 dead gray whales wash ashore in San Francisco Bay

Marine experts said one of them died from severe malnutrition.|
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN FRANCISCO - Marine experts say two dead gray whales were found in the San Francisco Bay this week and that one of them died from severe malnutrition.

The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito said Thursday scientists were unable to determine a cause of death for the other whale.

A team conducted necropsies on the 1-year-old, 23-foot-long female whales Tuesday at Angel Island State Park.

The center says the number of gray whales entering the San Francisco Bay this year has been “abnormally high.” It says the animals are also staying much longer.

Gray whales are making their annual northward migration from Mexico to Alaska.

Padraig Duignan, the center’s chief research pathologist, says it’s likely the malnourished whale didn’t have enough reserves built up to survive her journey north.

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