SAN DIEGO SAN DIEGO — The carcass of an 18-foot-long gray whale washed ashore in La Jolla Shores on Wednesday evening, and the remains were taken to a landfill early Thursday, officials said.
The whale was found around 5:45 p.m. in front of the La Jolla Shores Hotel, north of the boat launch, city spokesperson Jose Ysea said.
The body of the whale was very decomposed — and officials initially were unclear what species it was.
Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration took tissue samples and measurements of the whale and hoped to learn more about it after doing genetic testing, a spokesperson said.
The team was able to confirm based on skull measurements that it was a gray whale, said NOAA spokesperson Michael Milstein.
The whale was too decomposed for scientists to initially determine the species, although they had suspected it might be a gray whale. “This is the time when grays are migrating north,” he said.
NOAA did not release a cause of death for the whale.
Given the extent of the decomposition, it is unlikely officials will be able to determine what killed the whale.
“Usually they look for wounds or hemorrhaging as signs of a ship strike, for instance, but that was not possible here,” Milstein said in an email. “Some of the stranded whales have been underweight or skinny but again, that was impossible to tell here.”
The whale’s remains were taken to the Miramar landfill on Thursday, officials said.
