Four dead whales found in San Francisco Bay puzzle experts. ‘Really heartbreaking’

Four dead gray whales have been found in San Francisco Bay so far this month, concerning experts who have not determined their causes of death.

“The fact that we’ve responded to four dead gray whales ... is concerning,” said Giancarlo Rulli of the Marine Mammal Center, according to the publication.

A few gray whales are normally found dead in or near the bay each year as the creatures migrate along the California coast, experts say.

“These creatures, they are such magnificent creatures and to see them dead like this is really heartbreaking,” Eric Jones of Sea Valor told KTVU. His organization helped tow one of the dead whales to Angel Island for examination.

A 41-foot adult female gray whale washed up at Crissy Field on March 31, the Marine Mammal Center reported. A necropsy, or animal autopsy, failed to determine the cause of death.

A juvenile female gray whale was found floating dead in the bay over the weekend, and another dead gray whale was found at Moss Beach, KRON reported.

A fourth whale was found washed up on Muir Beach on Thursday morning, SFGate reported.

Malnutrition or accidents involving ship collisions or fishing nets are often found to be causes of death for gray whales, the Marine Mammal Center said.

But the whale found at Crissy Field showed no signs of illness or trauma, experts said.

California gray whales, which can reach 39 feet long and weigh 60,000 pounds, are on their yearly 11,000-mile trek north from Mexico to Alaska.

This story was originally published April 8, 2021 at 1:40 PM with the headline "Four dead whales found in San Francisco Bay puzzle experts. ‘Really heartbreaking’."