Blue whale that washed onto Bolinas beach will be left to decompose

BOLINAS, Calif. -- A 79-foot adult female blue whale that died after it was struck by a ship will be left to decompose on a Bolinas beach, a Marine Mammal Center spokeswoman said Tuesday morning.

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The dead whale was reported Thursday on remote Agate Beach where it will remain, center spokeswoman Laura Sherr said.

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A necropsy attended by 25 scientists and volunteers on the beach determined the whale suffered injuries along its entire left side, including hemorrhaged and necrotic muscle and 10 broken ribs.
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The whale's spine was badly fractured and the skull showed signs of trauma, according to the Marine Mammal Center.

The injuries are consistent with a ship strike, and results of tissue sampling will be available in a week or two, Sherr said.