Whales

Scientists say a necropsy for the fourth whale to wash ashore in Oregon in recent weeks is "nearly impossible," making its cause of death a mystery.

Since December 1, there have been nine whale strandings along the eastern U.S. coastline.

The 40-foot endangered whale remains on a beach at a state park following a necropsy to determine its cause of death.

The whale is only 4 years old, and its species is endangered, with only 350 remaining in the world.

The calf was born in Dana Point, California, hundreds of miles away from the lagoons of Baja California, where these whales usually breed.

"We first became concerned when we realized the width of the tail was more than the width of our [16-foot] boat," Tamanui Uerata said.

Photos of the whale flesh were posted on Twitter, with one user commenting on how horrific it must have smelled.

Blue whales usually migrate south for the winter months, mating and giving birth in the warmer waters off Mexico and Central America.

Officials have warned beachgoers not to go near the area as whale carcasses can cause a shark feeding frenzy

The humpback whale known as Moon was struck by a vessel, causing severe injuries that prevented her from moving her back fins.

The humpback whale managed to swim 3,000 miles in "considerable pain," using only her pectoral fins to propel herself onwards.

The ribs of the near-complete fossil, estimated to be at least 85,000 years old, were seen sticking out of the ground by an archaeologist and a local collector.

The young orca was returned to the sea after stranding but rescuers fear she will not survive without her mother

The mammal is thought to have likely died from natural causes such as old age, and was removed from the beach via a truck and taken to a landfill site.

The cause of death remains a mystery, as scientists have been unable to take the animal for a necropsy.

More than six million people have watched the hilarious moment on TikTok, with one user saying: "Dude was tryna have his free Willy moment."

"We have previously had animals with plastics and other debris found in their stomach, but never anything to this degree before," an expert told Newsweek.

Comments from orca expert Alfredo Lopez come as another sailor shared footage of a killer whale breaking their boat rudder.

"I had no idea what it was, I couldn't match it to anything I'd ever seen," Helen Marlow told Newsweek after discovering the strange blobs on the beach.

Australian fisherman Trapman Bermagui, who filmed the encounter, said he could hear the attack from over 300 feet away.

"This is the first time he has really gotten up close and personal with a whale!" a spokesperson for the Monterey Bay Whale Watch told Newsweek.

The 17-second clip shows potentially hundreds of killer whales surrounding the fishing boat, looking for an easy meal.

"This specific orca was extremely curious and came back to us several times. She was always very careful and very calm," Evans Baudin told Newsweek.

Harbor porpoises usually live in the saltwater of the ocean and being in freshwater rivers for too long can be bad for their skin.

Researchers are still unsure of the cause of death of the young female humpback.

"The critical context of the fossil" is lost when it is removed by non-scientists, paleontologist Justin Adams told Newsweek.

The orca washed up in the Netherlands with inflamed organs, teeth that were falling out, and a near-empty intestine.

Australian wildlife expert Vanessa Pirotta told Newsweek that while many suspect it could be a whale penis, scientists "don't know what this is at this stage."

The "blob" was found on a beach in Florence, Oregon, baffling locals as it was covered in strange, filamentous hair.

"We have got an orca," sailor Norma Russell said as she spotted the whale swimming alongside the vessel. Soon the orca began ramming the boat.