Scientists mystified by unusual strandings of large sea creatures on West Coast

Beach mystery: Another dead whale washes up in Pacifica — For the second time in three weeks, a dead whale has washed up on [the same beach]… “Something’s going on with nature,” said Ralph Clement… “This is kind of eerie. What are the odds of two whales in the same place? It has to mean something.”… “This is just not supposed to happen,” [Courtney] Patterson said. “It’s very unnerving. Is this caused by a lack of food?”… Jane Nahass said she has been walking on Pacifica beaches for 26 years and never saw two dead whales so close together. “Something’s going on,” she said.

NBC Bay Area, May 5, 2015: The 32-ft humpback is only a 5 minute walk from the decomposing sperm whale… Witness: “This is totally something new, something strange.” The Marine Mammal Center calls the beached whales a coincidence [and that it’s] an expected spot for marine life to wash up… But for a small crowd on the beach, the whale was anything but expected. Witness: “I’ve never seen this before in my whole life.”

KTVU, May 5, 2015: Anchor: Yet another dead whale was discovered today [at] almost the exact same spot where another huge whale washed ashore… Reporter:In 3 weeks, 5 dead whales have now beached along the Northern California coast.

KRON, May 6, 2015: Scientists conducted a necropsy on the 42-foot adult female humpback… if the whale had been struck by a ship, the scientists would have expected to see more broken ribs, so the exact cause of death remains unknown

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