ANKERAGE, Alaska — An endangered fin whale that washed up near a coastal path in Alaska’s largest city has attracted curious onlookers as biologists seek answers about what caused the animal’s death.
The carcass found near Anchorage this weekend was 45 feet (14.3 meters) long — comparable to the width of a college basketball court — and is believed to be that of a woman. Barbara Mahoney, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration biologist who studies the whale, said the Anchorage Daily News the whale was probably 1 to 3 years old.
Fin whales are the second largest whale species, according to NOAA Fisheries. Fully grown whales can grow up to 25.9 meters in length and weigh between 40 and 80 tonnes. Ship strikes, entanglements in fishing gear, underwater noise and the effects of climate change are among the threats facing fin whales, according to the agency.
Mandy Keogh, a NOAA marine mammal stranding coordinator, said fin whales are generally not seen this close to Anchorage and that recent high tides may have pushed the fin whales further into the Knik Arm.
People trekked across the mudflats to see the whale, which NOAA biologists and Alaska Veterinary Pathology Services staff anchored to the shore Sunday so they could collect samples of the animal. But even after samples are analyzed, it can be difficult to determine the cause of death due to decomposition or a lack of obvious injuries, Keogh said.
Daisy Grandlinard was among the parents who accompanied a group of children to see the whale on Monday. As they got closer, they could smell it, she said.
“It was very interesting for the children to be able to feel it and touch the bottom, because it had some kind of tracks on it, almost like a sled. And just to see the size of it, that was pretty cool,” she said. “We had already been studying whales a few weeks ago, so it was nice to see one in real life and say, ‘Oh, this is what the baleen looks like in real life’ and ‘Where’s the blowhole?’ ”
Biologists hoped to complete their work Tuesday by dislodging the carcass “and letting the tide push or move it,” Mahoney said. “What it does or doesn’t do, we don’t know.”