Gray Whale Washes Ashore Pescadero State Beach

Gray Whale Washed Ashore Pescadero State Beach from kristine a. wong on Vimeo.

In the first half of June, a 25-foot female gray whale washed ashore Pescadero State Beach in Pescadero, Calif., south of Half Moon Bay.

A necropsy performed by the Marine Mammal Center revealed that the 1-2 year old animal had sustained trauma to its head and thorax, likely due to colliding with a ship, though the exact cause could not be determined.

This video was shot on June 16, 2011.

This is the second time in eight months that a whale has washed ashore the California coast at a beach in Pescadero. In October 2010, an 85-foot blue whale and her fetus washed ashore Bean Hollow State Beach. (See video video posted here).

I produced this video (camera, video editing, writing) for Half Moon Bay Patch.