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A dead fin whale washed ashore on a coastal trail in Anchorage, Alaska.

Posted on by L. Dreeye
A dead fin whale washed ashore on a coastal trail in Anchorage, Alaska.

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An endangered fin whale has washed ashore near an Alaskan coastal trail, attracting dozens of curious observers as wildlife biologists investigate the sea animal’s cause of death.

The nearly 47-foot carcass of a juvenile female whale was found Saturday evening along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail in Anchorage, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) spokeswoman Jennifer Angelo told USA TODAY on Wednesday. The next day, Sunday, NOAA biologists and members of the stranding net arrived at the endangered fin whale to examine the carcass and collect samples.

Fin whales, the second largest whale species after blue whales, are classified as endangered, according to NOAA. An adult whale can reach 85 feet in length and weigh between 40 and 80 tons. This mammal, which gets its name from the fin on its back near its tail, is found in oceans around the world. However, their existence is threatened by collisions with ships, entanglement in fishing gear, underwater noise and the effects of climate change, NOAA says.

Although fin whales are typically found in the deep coastal waters of the open sea, away from the coast, mostly in temperate and polar latitudes, according to NOAA, NOAA biologist Barbara Mahoney told USA TODAY that recent high tides may have pushed the animal, “a yearling or juvenile 1 to 3 years of age, further into Knik Sound, a waterway into the northwestern Gulf of Alaska.

Angelo said NOAA biologists and Alaska Veterinary Pathology Services staff secured the carcass on shore Sunday and spent the next three days recovering samples of the whale’s skin and blubber to determine its cause of death. Mahoney told USA TODAY the whale did not have any external wounds or cuts, so they are “not sure what exactly happened.” However, NOAA biologists collected urine and blood samples, heart tissue, whisker samples and whatever else they could for research.

“We collected everything we could, where we could,” Mahoney said. “It was very difficult to get samples. It’s very hard to tell if you’re cutting meat, muscle or bone because it all feels hard (and) so big.”

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People line up to see and touch the whale.

As biologists try to understand the cause of the animal’s death, hundreds of people, including families and students, walked across the mud flats in cold and windy weather to see and touch the animal. However, no one was allowed to take any part of the whale unless they were Alaska Natives and doing so for food or use in crafts, Angelo said.

Among the dozens of visitors was Daisy Grandlinard, who brought a group of children to see the whale on Monday.

“The kids were really interested in feeling it, touching the bottom, because it had tracks on it, almost like a sleigh. And just to see the size of it, it was pretty cool,” Grandlinard said in Anchorage. Daily news. “We were already studying whales a couple of weeks ago, so it was fun to see one in person and be like, ‘Oh, this is what a baleen looks like in real life,’ and ‘Where’s the breathing hole?’

While biologists untied the body Tuesday evening after a necropsy was performed to allow nature to take its course, Mahoney said the body was still on the shore and it would be some time before it moved, given the weather and tides .

“Cold temperatures, high tides and limited daylight hours present challenges, and human safety is always the priority during any response to a stranding,” NOAA said.

To report an injured or stranded whale, call NOAA Fisheries Alaska’s 24-hour statewide hotline at (877) 925-7773.

This story has been updated to include more information and images.

Saman Shafik is a popular news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.