Decomposing whale creates 'super educational' spectacle

SAVANNAH

It's not yet known what killed an endangered fin whale, but people can marvel at the large marine mammal as it decomposes on an Oregon beach.

“While it's sad, it's also super educational," Tiffany Boothe, assistant manager of the Seaside Aquarium, said on Feb. 15 of the rare sight, which she said is only the second dead fin whale that Oregon has seen in about 30 years.

Just don't touch it because it can carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans and pets, she said.

“Also, it smells,” she said. “I don't know how to describe it. It smells like a dead whale.”

The 14-meter male whale washed ashore at Sunset Beach State Park south of Warrenton on Feb. 12 morning. It was entangled in rope.

But before officials could examine the rope and investigate the type of fishing gear it was, someone took it off and took it away, Boothe said.

“It was a well-meaning person, because the animal was still in the surf and appeared to be alive," she said. “And so they thought they were helping to detangle a live animal.”

While the rope entanglement was severe, the whale wasn't in it for very long and it didn't lead to its death. It will be several weeks before results from a necropsy will reveal what cause the emaciated whale's death, Boothe said.

The whale will naturally decompose, creating a “huge nutrient boost for the local environment,” feeding scavengers like eagles and ravens, down to little amphipods, Boothe said.