Wildlife officials are reporting this is the first whale death in the Bay Area this year.
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The carcass drew a small crowd of onlookers on Sunday.
Officials believe it's a young adult female gray whale estimated to be 40 feet long.
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This is not the same whale that was recently discovered entangled in a fishing net near Daly City.
"This is the time of year where gray whales are headed back to Alaska from Mexico. So we halfway expect to see a gray whale or two on their transit back. And sometimes they die," said Sue Pemberton with California Academy of Sciences.
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"And when we see them on shore, we want to figure out why. That's the best way for us to advocate and conserve them."
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The U.S. Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers will help tow the carcass to Angel Island State Park to determine the cause of death.