OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A biologist says a dead whale that washed ashore on a south Puget Sound beach this week is a tropical whale thousands of miles from its normal range.
Biologist John Calambokidis of Cascadia Research tells The Olympian newspaper that the animal found on Harstine Island is a Bryde’s (BROO’-dus) whale, which typically aren’t found north of Southern California. The organization says it’s apparently the first confirmed sighting and stranding of a Bryde’s whale in the Northwest.
Cascadia and state and federal biologists are studying the 39-foot immature whale, which may have been in the sound for several weeks. Tests are still being conducted, but Calambokidis says it appears that starvation and exposure to cold water played a role in its death.
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Information from: The Olympian, http://www.theolympian.com
